Future Tense
by Kaijo
Summary: The future isn't what it used to be. Nanoha's rude awakening has left her unsettled; everything she knows has changed. In traveling the new landscape, she must unravel the mysteries of the past, and come to terms with her new reality.
1. Future Shock

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 1: Future Shock**

Xx~~*~~xX

Her first few sensations were landing on the cold, hard metal ground on all fours, wet and naked, coughing water out from her lungs. Her next was a shiver as a brief wind chilled her damp and dripping skin.

"It's okay, it's just oxygenated liquid," a female voice soothed, as she felt a towel on her back, wiping her down. "Take a few moments to get it all out of your system."

"I don't think we have a few minutes," a harsher female voice intoned.

Nanoha rubbed her eyes, then looked up as she blinked them open, surprised at who she saw. "U-" but her voice was raspy, and she descended into another coughing fit.

"You'll be able to speak in a bit," Uno told her, helping her up by draping Nanoha's arm across her shoulders.

"Get her dressed," a somewhat electronic voice commanded. "Tre is right, we don't have long. I've put up traps and firewalls, but that won't hold them for long; they know."

Nanoha glanced around as Tre finished toweling her off and Uno began laying clothes out for her; other than Sette, she didn't see anyone else, so who was the other voice? And what was she doing here? Numb and confused, she quickly got into the bra and panties that were presented to her, but she froze at the faded blue jumpsuit she was handed next.

It was exactly like one the cyborgs had initially worn when they attacked Clanagan during the JS incident; Ginga had worn a similar one when she was kidnapped and brainwashed.

Her hands shook as she stared at it, horrible thoughts going through her mind, then her head came up and she managed to croak out, "What did you do to me?"

"Just put it on!" Tre demanded impatiently. "Although I don't see why we need to go through with this."

Uno laid a gentle hand on Nanoha's shoulder. "Please, just put it on. We don't have much time, but we will explain."

Nanoha was surprised with the urgent yet gentle sincerity in the #1 cyborg's voice, and decided to play along for now; she slipped into the jump suit and Uno zipped it up in the back for her, then began drying and fixing her hair, which she tied into a single pony tail draping down the middle of her back.

That's when Nanoha got her first view of the tri-wheeled robot with something like a brain in a glass dome case on top as it wheeled over to her, a familiar face appearing on a monitor.

"They are breaking through faster than expected," Jail's face told them in that electronic voice, then turned to Nanoha. "I'm sorry, but apparently we won't have time to catch up; you'll need to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on," she demanded in a firm voice, getting her wits about her again. "From the sounds of things, it appears my friends are the way to rescue me."

To her surprise, Jail seemed to have lost his fire, and he actually looked a bit melancholic instead of laughing at her like he would have normally done. "Yes and no. I know you have no reason to trust me, but you must; your friends, and the future of your world, depend on it. Go with Uno, she will explain everything. After that, you are free to do as you wish. I regret I can't go with you."

"Doctor, you can't stay here!" Tre argued. "You know what they'll do to you!"

"I know," he told her sadly. "But I'll never be able to keep up like this. You, Uno, and Sette must get her out of here."

Nanoha stared as the small wheeled robot with Jail's face wheeled over to a wall, and deployed a flexible silver tentacle that hit a few buttons, causing a section of the wall to slide open. [If this is a trick,] Nanoha realized slowly. [It's a very good one. They seem very sincere... and deathly afraid.]

"Come on," Tre told her, grabbing Nanoha's hand and pulling her toward the hole in the wall.

"Wait, where is my device, Raging Heart?" Nanoha demanded.

"We don't have it," Jail answered from his brain-toting robot. "And we have no more time. You must go!"

Reluctantly, Nanoha allowed herself to be pulled by Tre into the tunnel, but after a few steps, Tre stopped and turned around, asking, "Wait, Sette?"

Nanoha glanced back to see the #7 cyborg standing at the tunnel entrance. "Someone needs to seal the passageway, and buy you time to escape. Good luck, my sisters."

"No, Sette!" Tre roared, leaping towards the doorway as it slammed shut.

Uno laid a hand on Tre's arm. "It was her wish. We have no choice; we must do as the doctor asked us to. They wanted us to live. All hope lies with Nanoha now."

"Feh," Tre spat, pounding the door once, then turning around to roughly slide an arm around Nanoha's waist, and the other around Uno's, taking off in flight. "My sister just gave her life for you. Appreciate it."

Nanoha was shocked at the finality in Tre's voice, glancing over to see the Uno's hard face hiding a hint of genuine sadness; something else was going on here, but what?

"Alright, I'll go with you for now, if you'll tell me what's going on," Nanoha conceded at last. "Who was after us?"

Tre's jaw was firm, seemingly in no mood to talk, but apparently Uno was. "Enforcers of someone you used to know: Hayate Yagami."

Nanoha's eyes narrowed. "So they were friends of mine, coming for me!"

Uno shook her head. "Not as you knew them. Things have changed greatly since you've been gone."

Nanoha's brow furrowed. "Gone? What do you mean? How long have I been gone?

Even though Nanoha figured there wasn't much else that could shock her, Uno's deadly serious look and next words did anyway. "The year is 0129; over 50 years have gone by since you last knew the world."

x~~*~~x

"Hello, doctor!" oozed a sultry and pleased female voice looking around, then frowning. "So, where is she? And where are my sisters?"

"Where is who, my dear Quattro?" Jail asked innocently, eyeing the soldiers pointing their war staves at him.

The #4 cyborg leaned down to look the computer screen in the eye, tracing a finger delicately over his glass brain case. "You know who. I assume you sent my sisters off with her, although I can't imagine why, or what you're up to. You never trusted me with that information, which means you must have known I was spying for Hayate. So why did you do it?"

Jail chuckled. "I just wanted to get the gang all back together; was that so wrong?"

Quattro jammed her hand into a wall and pulled out a conduit crackling with energy, jamming it against the brain dome. Jail's electronic voice scream in pain as Quattro's lips tugged upwards into a smile, but she pulled it away after only a few seconds.

"Don't toy with me doctor, you know how much it pains me to hurt my own father," she cooed. "Why did you do it? You'll tell me... or you'll tell Hayate. It's your choice, but I'd tell me if I were you."

The screen flickered a bit, but Jail's face on it was clearly in pain. "My dear Quattro, when you were born, I could never have imagined how far you would go in life. I wouldn't dream of depriving you of an interesting mystery to ponder over."

Quattro smiled lazily as she jammed the conduit against him for another few moments, delighting in the electronic screams. "You're right, I do so love a mystery. But it pains me to know Hayate will get it out of you. Enforcers, take the dear doctor here to get prepped; our dear leader will want a word with him."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied instantly, beginning to wheel him out. One hung back and gestured to the floor. "What about the other one?"

Quattro glanced down at the body on the floor that used to be her sister, Sette, and casually kicked it. "Take it to my lab; it's merely an empty shell now, but I may be able to squeeze some juicy secrets out of her mind. Such a shame, though, that she had to pick the wrong side. But, in the end, I guess that's what made her such a perfect soldier; she was loyal to Jail until the end."

x~~*~~x

The flight continued in silence, passing from the worn-down technologic setting of the tunnel into a disused stone aqueduct, as Nanoha tried to wrap her mind around what Uno had told her. [50 years? That can't be possible, can it?]

She studied the two cyborgs, now seeing small details she hadn't noticed before. Tre had a few age lines on her face and Uno's hair sported small gray spots here and there, but Nanoha was confused; the cyborgs shouldn't age normally, and Mid-Childan medical technology meant that they should look normal, even 50 years later.

"Tell me, Nanoha, what is your last memory, before waking up here?" Uno probed.

"My last memory?" she questioned, thinking, but it was all a jumbled mess.

"_Na... ha!"_

She shook her head. "Just a bunch of images. I do remember you and the JS incident, though. And I think a year or two after that, and then it gets fuzzy."

"I see," Uno replied thoughtfully, glancing at Tre, who looked grimly back at her.

"I can guess why you two would be running away from Hayate, but why take me?" Nanoha questioned. "Why is it so urgent to get me away from her?" 

"Things have changed since you've been gone, and Hayate isn't the woman you once knew," Uno replied, to which Tre barked a short laugh. "She is now in charge of the TSAB, having implemented new draconian laws over the years as a way of ensuring safety and maintaining order. There is precious little of the freedom left that you so value."

"Hayate wouldn't do that," Nanoha countered. "She's not like that, and none of our friends would let it come to that!"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're here," Tre announced, landing and setting the two women down.

There was a thick iron grating across the exit to the aqueduct, but not much light shone from outside; Nanoha guessed it might be evening. She turned to see what the cyborgs were doing, observing Uno kneeling down and taking several bricks out of the wall, removing a small box from the hidden compartment. Curious, she watched as the cyborg removed several long pieces of drab brown cloth, tossing one at Nanoha, who discovered it was a large, raggedy cloak.

"Put this on, and cover your head with the hood," Uno instructed. "And then we'll have to be quiet for now. The explanation will resume once we are outside the city."

Nanoha debated flying off once they were out and trying to rejoin Hayate's force to see what was really going on, but something about the whole situation, and the way the cyborgs and that Jail robot had been acting, gave her pause. It could have all been a trick, but what would be the point? She didn't feel brainwashed, and if Jail had wanted her to do something, he could have done like he did with Ginga. Also, they had promised she would be free to do what she wanted once they got her outside of the city, so Nanoha supposed she could wait.

Tre bent the bars of the grate open enough for them to slip out, then bent them back to return it to normal. Outside was a dirty, run-down city with small, dull-gray buildings separated by muddy ground that informed her it had rained recently; overall, she got her the impression she was in some sort of ghetto. She wondered what time it was, but with the sky heavily cloudy and overcast, she couldn't even see a sun or moons; she could only deduce it felt like day still. She quickly put up her hood, and followed the other two as they led on.

"Where are we?" Nanoha whispered, leaning close to Uno.

The cyborg hesitated a moment before answering. "Clanagan."

Nanoha was stunned, searching the horizon for taller buildings; in the distant haze, she thought she could make out the central spire, but none of the surrounding spires, and they were well behind a fairly high wall that seemed to lock out the ghetto portion of the town. She wanted to ask how things had degraded so much, but remembered what they said about being quiet, and decide to respect that for now.

But when they left the alley and turned onto a more main street, and she beheld the squalor and abject poverty of the people in the streets, she couldn't hold it in anymore and finally asked why things were like this.

"This is the outskirts," Uno answered quietly. "The main city itself behind the wall isn't too bad, fairly prosperous, and people travel long distances to get some of that prosperity. But there isn't enough resources for everyone."

"There always was before," Nanoha replied, unable to take her eyes off the people sitting or laying at the side of the road or on the short steps of the various run-down houses and buildings. Most barely lifted their eyes to gaze back at her, and if they did, they quickly lost interest.

"Hayate has redirected most of it to the army and navy, for the use in liberating other worlds," Uno explained.

"More like 'conquering'," Tre spat.

Before Nanoha could inquire further, an elderly female voice called to her from her right. "Would you like to buy some of my fruit? It is very fresh still. Please buy some of my fruit!"

As Nanoha turned, she was shocked by the poor quality; most of it was half-rotted, and the old woman in the poorly-built stall appeared to be in her nineties. Still, Nanoha felt compelled to do something, yet realized she had no money, and so turned to her temporary companions.

"We have some," Uno whispered back. "But we must save it in case we need it later."

Nanoha fixed them with a look, planting her hands on her waist. Uno sighed and gave in, handing over a couple of strange bronze coins that Nanoha had never seen before. But the old woman eagerly took them and thanked her, handing over a couple of fruits that looked like miniature apples.

"Thank you," Nanoha told Uno, as the trio began to move off. "I wish we could help all of them."

"If we succeed in our mission, you may be able to," Uno told her.

Curious, Nanoha began to ask, "What is-"

"Stop right there!" declared a male in a commanding voice, causing all three to turn suddenly.

Tre bent her knees slightly, and Nanoha could feel her tensing for battle, but she relaxed when they realized the shout wasn't addressed to them. A young boy in a ragged cloak was running towards them, carrying something, while three lightly armored, but helmeted enforcers chased him. He seemed to be gaining distance, but then tripped and fell in the mud, sliding a couple of meters which allowed the enforcers to catch up.

"You're under arrest," one of them declared, picking the young boy up by the neck of his cloak.

"I'm not afraid of you!" the boy shot back defiantly, but Nanoha could also sense fear in the the voice.

Disturbed, she walked over and asked the enforcers, "What has he done?"

The one who appeared to be the leader of the three didn't turn around, but replied, "He's a thief. He's been stealing from the merchant district for some time now." He reached down and grabbed the wrapped object the boy was carrying, uncovering it to reveal a loaf of bread.

"How else are we supposed to eat!" the boy asked angrily.

"You have your daily ration and that should be enough for you," the captain replied tersely. "If you want more, you have only to enlist in the army or navy."

"But I don't want to kill people!" the boy whined.

Before Nanoha could respond, she found her shoudler roughly grabbed and spun and as she was pulled back, coming face to face with an angry Tre.

"What are you doing?" the #3 cyborg hissed in a quiet voice. "We can't risk drawing attention to ourselves!"

"I've always tried to do the right thing before," Nanoha replied evenly, gathering her magic. "And I'm not about to stop now." She wrenched herself out of Tre's grasp as she turned back around, raising her finger. "Lyrical Magical! Holy light, come to my hand. Under my guidance, reverberate through the sky! Divine Shooter, shoot!"

Three pink orbs appeared at her fingertip which she fired, smacking each one of the enforcers who dropped the child and the food; the former promptly grabbed the latter and took off, not even a word of thanks, but that didn't matter to Nanoha.

Tre smacked her forehead, and began removing her cloak. "Of all the stupid, idiotic... Uno!"

Before Nanoha could realize what they were doing, Uno had grabbed Nanoha's arm firmly and used her superior cyborg strength to pull Nanoha into an alley. More enforcers arrived on the scene mere seconds after they reached cover, and Tre was beginning to fight them.

"What are you doing?" Nanoha demanded angrily. "We have to help Tre!"

"She's allowing us to get away, by giving us a distraction," Uno replied. "The sensors registered a fight, and more enforcers will be on us soon. If they don't find someone, they'll keep searching and lock down the area. We need to take another route out of the city. I apologize for this."

Nanoha felt a hand roughly chop her across the back of the neck, which promptly made her lose control of her entire body, but Uno supported her easily. "Why? We have to go back and help her! She's your sister!"

"Yes, she is," Uno replied, pushing Nanoha into some hole in the wall.

Helpless to control herself at all, Nanoha quickly descended into some sort of horrible-smelling slide, the darkness swallowing her up.

x~~*~~x

"Is that all you got?" Tre spat, tossing another enforcer to the ground. "If this is the best you can do, I may as well take over around here!"

More and more enforcers were filling into the streets, attacking her point blank with their lances. Despite her speed at evading them, enough numbers meant that some would get lucky, and she had already taken a few jabs that sent pain flaring throughout her body.

"Enforcers, fall back," a female voice commanded. "I'll handle this."

Tre wiped blood from her lip and smiled. "Well, well, we meet again. Somehow I always figured it would be you."

"Tre, surrender at once, and you'll get a fair trial," the helmeted-woman ordered.

"Ha!" Tre barked. "I think we both know how fair those trials are. Why don't you remove that fancy headgear and do what you came to do?"

The enforcer commander sighed and prepared her weapon. "Very well. Quattro can probably still download the contents of your mind after you are dead."

Tre slowly grinned at the crackling golden blade of her opponent. "That's better. Let's hope you can avoid destroying my head, or your masters will be displeased!"

Adrenaline pumping, she promptly leapt at the other woman, feeling glad to be back in her element, at least for a short while.

x~~*~~x

The winding slide went back and forth a few times, but somewhere along the route Uno managed to catch up and hold onto her, as both came back out into the light at the ride's end, And fell several meters into a pile of garbage; Nanoha realized she would have landed badly, if Uno hadn't cushioned her fall.

"We have to get out of here," Uno told her, hoisting the woman across her shoulders as an explosion sounded in the city. "Your mobility will return soon; that technique is only temporary.

"What about Tre?" Nanoha demanded again.

Uno's voice and stride didn't change in the slightest, as she replied, "Tre is dead."

"How do you know?" Nanoha pushed again. "It was my fault that happened, you should have let me-"

"I know," Uno said again. "I am connected with my sisters via a subspace link. Tre and Sette are no more."

"And you don't care?" Nanoha asked, incredulous, feeling some measure of feeling coming back to her limbs.

"Of course I care," Uno replied evenly and emotionlessly. "But it is pointless to do anything about it now. They gave their lives to help accomplish this mission. The only logical thing is to go forward."

Still a bit numb and realizing further discussion of the topic was pointless, Nanoha managed to crane her neck back, seeing smoke rising into the sky as well as the hole in the stone wall they had come flying out of. She was even more surprised when a hologram of Hayate appeared in the sky, further stunning Nanoha that Hayate did indeed appear a bit older; but it was hard to tell how exactly how much.

"Citizens of Mid-Childa, our time is growing closer," the hologram announced, spreading her arms. "True paradise is close, and all your hard work will be rewarded soon. We are nearing our goal of liberating all the known planets in our galaxy. All our dreams will be fulfilled, and everyone will gain the happiness and security we so deserve. Your time of sacrifice has not gone unnoticed, and you will all be rewarded. Together, we will build a brighter future for tomorrow!"

It sounded like Hayate, and yet it didn't quite seem like the woman she used to know; Nanoha was having a hard time reconciling what she had seen so far, with what she knew.

"What happened?" Nanoha asked at last as Uno set the other woman down once she could walk on her own. "What could possibly have happened that managed to change things this drastically? What happened to me?"

Uno sighed, turned to Nanoha, and said simply, "You died."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

This is a story that's been in my mind for awhile now, and I didn't think I'd get around to writing it for awhile, but I thought I might concentrate on something else for a bit, to give people a chance to catch up on my Crisis universe before I go into the next two stories.

And even though I've kinda spilled this plot with a couple of people, things are still in flux and subject to change. There are still several important plot points I'm debating on, and time will tell which way I go with them.

Lastly, for timeline purposes, this split off sometime after StrikerS. Exact details will be revealed in future chapters.


	2. The Road to Hell

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 2: The Road to Hell**

Xx~~*~~xX

The slow patter of raindrops on the leaves overhead was the only sound in the vicinity, as the two travelers took refuge under a small rocky cliff gulley in the forest. Ever since the short discussion after the revelation earlier, Nanoha had lapsed into silence, her thoughts confused. She was still aware of her companion, the cyborg Uno, watching her impassively, but the majority of her thinking had to do with her new reality.

_Nanoha stared at her companion, suddenly and keenly aware her heart pumping blood through her body, and said the only thing she could think of: "I'm not dead!"_

_"I was hesitant to say before, at least until we got out of the city, because I was unsure how you would react," Uno admitted._

_"You said that once I was outside the city, I was free to do as I wished," Nanoha countered._

_"Yes, that is true, but I think it would be within your interests to understand everything that has happened since you died," Uno replied._

_"There you go again; I'm not dead!" Nanoha argued, then paused as a horrible feeling flooded over her. "Unless I'm a..."_

_"Correct," Uno told her, pausing also and turning to look back at Nanoha. "You're a clone. The real Nanoha Takamachi died over 50 years ago."_

Nanoha studied her hands, pondering how she was supposed to feel different, if she wasn't the real Nanoha Takamachi. Then again, who is to say she wasn't? She didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, she still felt like Nanoha; but then again, wouldn't a clone feel the same way? And did it really matter? Fate was a clone, and Nanoha was more than willing to accept her as a real human; but then again, Fate was a clone of Alicia, and they were two separate personalities despite the genetic similarities.

[Perhaps I should take a new name?] she wondered inwardly. [If I'm not Nanoha. But if so, what should I call myself? What name should I take? What was my grandmother's name? Seikou?]

She closed her eyes and shook her head, realizing that a new name was the least of her worries; if this really was the future and everything she knew had changed, she needed to decide on a new course of action.

[But what?] the thought came, which was promptly pushed aside as she opened her eyes and noticed two hands holding objects in front of her. "What's this?"

"One of the apples and a protein bar," Uno answered, her features unreadable in the darkening evening from where she sat next to Nanoha. "You need to keep your strength up."

"Thank you," Nanoha told her and reached out for them, then paused. "Wait, what about you?"

She shook her head. "I can control my internal functions to limit my energy output and slow my metabolism; I won't need as much sustenance as long as I keep my activity low. However, I have no real offensive capabilities, and as a mage, you need nutrition to keep your magic up in case we run into unforeseen circumstances."

"I can't possibly take all the food!" Nanoha insisted, withdrawing her hands.

"This is not all the food," Uno replied simply, placing the two objects in Nanoha's lap, then pulling her cloak back to reveal a couple of packs around her waist. "I have enough here for two days, but we will need to buy some more in a town. If you wish me to continue to travel with you, that is."

Nanoha sighed, deciding it was better not to argue about food, and carefully bit into the better portions of the apple, swallowing before asking the thought on her mind. "How?"

"I do not understand," Uno stated, confused.

"How did I, the other Nanoha, die?" Nanoha inquired, in between bites of her meal.

Uno was quiet for a moment, perhaps gathering her thoughts. "The exact details of your death were classified. I was still in prison at the time, and the doctor was never able to learn exactly what killed you. All we know is that it concerned some lost logia."

[Figures,] Nanoha thought, surprising herself at how dark her thoughts were turning. She shook her head, then asked, "Even if I believe you about all this, which I am still thinking over... how does my death amount to all of this? How does that make Hayate into an enemy?"

"It wasn't entirely your death," Uno answered. "There were several other factors, but Jail determined that your death was the start, the key moment when things began to worsen on Mid-Childa and in the universe. The doctor believed that it was then that Hayate began to work harder to get more mages into the Bureau, and train them harder, so that such a situation would never happen again."

A strange humming sound began to resonate from above somewhere, causing Uno to quickly turn silent. Even if the darkness, Nanoha could see Uno's eyes widen slightly and a finger going to her lips to indicate that Nanoha should be quiet. Eyebrows narrowing in confusion, Nanoha glanced upward, but she couldn't see anything from underneath the rocky cliff overhang and the thick tree cover. After a few minutes, the humming faded entirely.

"I do not think they detected us," Uno stated at last, scanning the vicinity.

"What was that about?" Nanoha wondered aloud.

"Sentries," Uno replied. "Robotic patrols. You might recognize them as descendants of the old type-3 drones you fought against during the JS incident. Hayate may be searching for us outside the city as a precaution or it could be just a standard patrol. I believe there there is a strong probability she thinks we are still hiding within Clanagan."

"Is that why you insisted we keep moving until we got to this place?" Nanoha questioned, gesturing at the rocky cliff overhang.

Uno nodded. "Yes, to hide our thermal signature."

Nanoha sighed, finishing off the protein bar. "I still don't understand why I need to hide from Hayate. She's a friend of mine! Or at least, of the real Nanoha. I don't think she'd treat a clone any differently."

"As I said before, she is not the Hayate you knew," Uno repeated. "Once she gained a leadership position in the Bureau, she slowly turned the planet into a totalitarian state, in the name of keeping its citizens safe. I'll tell you more tomorrow, but you should try to get some rest now. I would prefer to get moving again before light."

Nanoha gazed at the other woman as she debated the suggestion, but the cyborg's expression was inscrutable. For some reason, Nanoha found the other woman's presence somehow comforting; maybe because Uno was at least a familiar face in a strange world, and Nanoha felt the cyborg was being truthful and straight with her, despite how strange the circumstances. She didn't fully trust the cyborg yet, but she decided that cautious trust was the best policy at the moment, at least until she knew more.

And truth be told, she was a bit sleepy. "Alright, tomorrow then."

She leaned back against the dirt wall of the gulley and closed her eyes, soon finding herself fast asleep.

x~~*~~x

_Her mirror image stared back at her. "Who are you?"_

_"I don't understand," Nanoha asked, confused. "Aren't you me?"_

_"You are me," the other version of her said mysteriously. "And you are not."_

_"I'm a clone," Nanoha answered. "At least, I think so. But I know I am real, too... aren't I? And you are the other me, the one who died, the original."_

_Her double gazed impassively at her, as if waiting for something. "Search for the truth about us."_

_"The truth? I don't understand."_

_"Search for the truth, and you will understand," the original repeated, fading from view._

_"No, wait!" Nanoha called, reaching out to touch the other, but passing through the dissolving image as it rippled, as if she were plunging her hand into a watery surface. "I have more questions!"_

_But the reflection was gone._

Nanoha awoke at the gentle prodding, rubbing her eyes, her cloak a bit moist from the morning dew.

"We should get moving," Uno was saying. "The sun will be up soon, and I would like to be further away from Clanagan before then."

"I still don't understand why," Nanoha asked tiredly, the unsettling dream still fresh in her memory. "Where are we going? And why?"

Before she responded, Uno reached into the neck of her jumpsuit and pull out a cracked pendant. "The doctor said I should get you away from Clanagan before showing you this, but I think we are far enough for now. It was slightly damaged in the fall and I've been trying to fix it all night."

As Nanoha watched in curiosity, Uno opened the pendant which began to emit a glow, forming a miniature hologram of Jail's human form that smiled as it spoke.

"Greetings Nanoha... machi," the image said, occasionally fading out to static as it played it's recorded message. "I bet you... wondering what's going on. Uno can... history. But I... dissatisfied with Hayate's rule... keeps me on a short leash, haha. I always... control, but not with the way things are. Several months ago, I... unknown visitor. He offered... to change things. I received... genetic material to grow a clone... head to mountains... someone waits for you... not sure whether... plan will work... I am intrigued, but you... free to do as you wish... Uno, do whatever you can to assist... luck."

Nanoha blinked as the image faded. "That's it?"

"As I said, it was damaged," Uno stated, sliding the pendant back down her jumpsuit. "There are apparently some coordinates in there, but I can only partially access them. I need some tools to fix it, which is another reason I would like to get to another town soon."

"What is this plan?" Nanoha asked, standing with her. "And now that I think about it, Jail said something about the future of the world depended on me, somehow."

"The doctor never shared it with me, and now I know why," Uno answered as they began to walk. "He must have suspected one of us was working for Hayate. All we knew was that we started cloning someone several months ago, which turned out to be you. He did honestly seem to believe that you could change things, however, if that is what you wish. Per the doctor's order, I am under your command now; I shall assist you in whatever way you desire."

Nanoha paused and glanced at the woman, but Uno appeared quite serious. "And if I want to return to Clanagan and talk to Hayate?"

"I would advise against it, but if that is your wish, I will help you," Uno replied reluctantly. "I admit I am unsure what Hayate might do with you, but I will probably not live long."

Nanoha spared a glanced back the way they had come, which she knew to lead to the city. She was free to do what she wanted, but would returning honestly be the right thing to do? If Jail and Uno were right, doing so would kill any chance at the mission's success which somehow hinged on her; and she'd never know the reason why she had been brought back.

"What do you recommend, then?" Nanoha inquired.

"If we continue traveling northeast, we'll reach the small harbor town of Helana by evening," Uno explained. "If they don't have what I need to fix the pendant, we can take a boat across the ocean to Organtz; it's a large commercial town where many come to trade. I admit I am curious as to how the doctor feels you can change the world, so even if he had not ordered it, I would still journey with you."

[She's not the only one,] Nanoha realized, then sighed. "Alright, let's do that. This way?"

Uno nodded as the two began walking again. "Nanoha, I want to thank you. I know you have no reason to trust us, given our past history."

"I still don't, entirely," Nanoha admitted. "But I do believe in giving people second chances. I can return to Clanagan at any time to confront Hayate, but for now I'll see what Jail's plan entails. Once I know, I decide what to do then."

Uno's lips turned upwards slightly, in what almost looked like an attempt at a friendly smile. "Fair enough."

x~~*~~x

"City sweep is 68% complete," an emotionless voice intoned from her computer station. "Estimate completion in eight hours. It would be faster, but we are undermanned at the moment."

"Jail would have to make his move now, with most of our forces off-world," another female voice noted derisively from where she lounged off to the side, partially obscured by shadow.

"Don't forget who he is, Wendi," a deeper female reminded her.

Wendi leaned into the light and barked a short laugh. "Ha! As if I'd forget something like that, Nove! I'm just surprised Tre and Sette still followed him. You'd think, after all these years, they'd know better. I'm only surprised Quattro sold him out."

Nove snorted. "She'd sell out anyone if the price was right. But I still think I should have handled his interrogation; Quattro has yet to show any results." She glanced over at the woman in the command chair and cracked her knuckles. "I still can..."

Hayate leaned forward, folding her fingers in front of her face in quiet contemplation as she glanced at her own screen. "We shall soon see. Send him in."

The door to the command center wooshed open, and wheels creaked as the midget robot was pushed into the room by the #4 cyborg who promptly made a showy bow. "Apologies for the delay, but the doctor's mind is proving most resistant to my methods."

Static occasionally flickered across the robot's screen, but Jail's face was still visible. "I know your construction and limits of your abilities, dear Quattro."

"He is right about that," Wendi agreed. "Hacking machines is more your forte, and despite what he is now, he still has a human brain."

"Why don't I show you just how well I can hack brains, human or otherwise?" Quattro offered, smiling with teeth.

Hayate cut them off before they could continue. "Enough. Wendi is right, but remember, doctor, that I had that container robot built just for you, to haul your brain around. Quattro, what did you learn from Tre and Sette?"

She shrugged. "Sadly, not much. Just that they were to escort and protect that Nanoha clone. They didn't know why, or where she was headed, though. And I _very_ thoroughly probed their minds." She shot Wendi an inviting look.

"So, my dear doctor, this is how you repay me?" Hayate questioned, slowly rising from her chair and producing a remote control. "I pulled you from prison, gave you room to conduct your research, and even spared your life, and this what I get? Tell me: what are your plans for that Nanoha clone?"

"It was actually a surprise for your birthday party, but Quattro had to go and ruin it," Jail replied.

Hayate casually hit a button on the remote and lights flashed in the thick, murky, yellow liquid Jail's brain rested in, accompanied by horrid electronic screams. Nove and Wendi looked away, while Quattro watched eagerly; but the three computer technicians just ignored it as they concentrated on their screens.

After one full minute, Hayate cut it off. "You know I don't want to do this, doctor. You're a valuable resource and it hurts me greatly that you'd betray my trust like this. Just tell me what I want to know and this will all be over; I might just let you finally die, too."

"Don't tempt me," Jail's voice replied, heaving.

Hayate ran a hand through her short, white hair as she closed her eyes and took a breath. "Girls, leave me."

Obeying immediately, Wendi, Nove, Quattro, and the three technicians got up and left without a word, knowing better than to question her orders. As the door slid shut, Hayate checked her screen, activating the room's barrier system; no one could get in or out now.

"Well then, doctor, it's just you and me," Hayate told him, then flashed for a moment as her hair turned back to brown.

"And me," Rein said emotionlessly, floating down to merge with Jail's brain.

"Rein will probe every nook and cranny in your mind," Hayate told him impassively. "And in the end, I will know everything. It won't be pleasant, and it will be painful; I've specifically told her to make it as agonizing as possible."

Jail's image on the screen began to contort, his mouth dropping open as his head flopped around.

Hayate clucked her tongue at him. "You forced me to take this measure. I didn't want to, but I must know what you've been up to. Oh, and try not to think about your Nanoha clone, and desperately try not to think about where she is going."

The screaming continued until the robot's vocal processor burned out, the supreme commander of Mid-Childa and the Bureau closing her eyes to visualize in her mind the images and thoughts Rein was sending her.

Then she heard Rein's surprised voice, which mirrored her own astonishment. "[Hayate!]"

"I see it, Rein," Hayate noted, eyes opening again as she stared in disgust at the midget Jail robot. "To think you would go so far as to wipe your own memory of your plans..."

x~~*~~x

Helena was just as Uno described; a fishing village complete with a few seafaring ships that ferried people between three other towns. But that still didn't prepare Nanoha for the state of the village; the buildings were all wood in various states of disrepair, and even the ships were made with timber. Apparently, Hayate had diverted all mineral resources to the construction of drones, spaceships, and other weapons to outfit her army.

They would have arrived much earlier if Uno had let her fly them here, but the cyborg had warned her not to risk using magic carelessly. Apparently the sentinel drones could detect magic in use and so it would give them away; Nanoha had to hide the fact that she could do magic, unless it was really necessary. The only good news was that the drones comprised most of the forces on Mid-Childa; the actual human mage soldier count was rather low, as the majority were currently engaged on other worlds.

"Here," Uno directed quietly, as the two entered a seaside bar that was decently filled with patrons. "There should be someone here who owns a ship we can book passage on."

Nanoha remained quiet and just nodded, trying her best to look inconspicuous. Fortunately, most of the occupants showed various levels of intoxication, or were otherwise engaged in various jovial conversations or listening to the piano player in the corner, so the pair were only given cursory glances. Uno led them to the bar, leaning over to whisper in the barkeep's ear, who pointed out a circular table with a lone individual under a straw hat. The cyborg nodded and the two went over to sit down.

"We hear you own a ship which can take us to Organtz," Uno inquired as they sat down.

The man was leaning back some, and his hat was tipped down far enough to hide most of his facial features. "Used to. The government has put a moratorium on travel. I ain't goin' nowhere."

"We can pay well," Uno indicated, reaching into her cloak and bringing out some of her money.

The ship owner lifted his head slightly and gazed at the coins, before lowering it again. "Nope, sorry. You couldn't pay me enough to go against the government."

Nanoha narrowed her eyes; the man was trying to hide it, but she could tell he was afraid. "What's wrong?"

"None of your business," he shot back tersely, then lifted his drink and took a swallow. "Now get lost. Don't make me say it again."

Nanoha glanced at Uno, who shrugged, clearly at a loss for what to do.

"Thank you anyway," Nanoha replied, the two getting up and moving to an empty table while a barmaid, who couldn't have been older than twelve, brought them a pair of drinks; Nanoha couldn't tell if they were alcoholic or not, though. "Now what?"

"I am unsure," Uno admitted. "I was not expecting Hayate to lock down trade routes so quickly. We could keep moving; the next town is two days travel, with no guarantee we could get a ship there, either. We could possibly wait until nightfall and steal a ship-"

"No," Nanoha said quickly. "I won't steal."

Uno looked up, meeting her gaze, but quickly relented, obviously disappointed. "Well, there are other towns that might have the tools I need, but-"

The bar's door slammed open, interrupting Uno as the piano music died instantly and the room went deathly quiet. The two women glanced up, seeing two enforcer soldiers standing there, war staves in hand. Nanoha couldn't help but notice how different they were from the old bureau's mages; a yellow lightning bolt symbol adorned the black chest armor, and the staves were double-bladed with a green jewel between them, obviously functioning as melee weapons in addition to magic blasters.

"We're looking for someone and we received information that they are here," one of them intoned ominously, eyes sweeping over the room as his partner began searching person-to-person. "Cooperate, and we'll be gone and your life will return to normal."

Nanoha tensed up, but felt Uno's hand on her knee.

"Well, Randy?" the one in the doorway asked.

"She's here, I'm picking up a reading," Randy replied as he swung his staff around slowly, pointing it at various people. "There!"

He suddenly leapt the bar and grabbed a barmaid who was hiding underneath it, as she shrieked, "Let me go!"

It was the same young barmaid that brought them their drinks, Nanoha realized; the one who couldn't have been older than 11 or 12. To her surprise, the man they had attempted to book passage with immediately jumped to his feet and sprinted towards them.

"No, please let my daughter go!" he nearly shouted, begging. "She's just a young girl!"

"Easy pops," Randy's partner threatened. "You know the rules. All mages must enlist with the bureau for mandatory service."

"But she's not a soldier!" the girl's father pleaded. "And can barely use any magic at all! She'll die if you send her into combat!"

He promptly doubled over as Randy's partner jabbed him in the stomach with the dull end of the staff. "She'll be well-trained and well looked after, you should be glad; she'll do a lot better than you will in this dump."

Nanoha shot Uno a dark look, knowing the other woman got her meaning.

"We can't!" Uno insisted in a barely audible voice. "We can't risk you being discovered! Even if you save her, more enforcers will arrive. We'll both be caught. There is more at stake than just one girl. Remember the boy!"

Nanoha's jaw clenched as she remembered jumping in to help that boy, and Tre giving her life so that Nanoha and Uno could escape, but she still didn't have to like this. What did the world matter, if a single innocent life was sacrificed? It ran contrary to what Nanoha had believed in for her entire life.

"What will happen to her?" Nanoha asked, as the girl was dragged to the entrance.

"Probably taken to the local processing facility for initial internment along with the others they pick up, and then later shipped off to a training facility," Uno guessed. "Perhaps off-world."

"Others?" Nanoha questioned, her left eyebrow raising slightly as she pictured more people like the girl being rounded up.

The bar's silence slowly gave way to music and light conversation as the two enforcers left, the girl's father still on the ground, holding his stomach and crying. "Livia..."

The name was different, but it was close enough to send a cold shock through Nanoha's body that practically drove her to her feet. "Find me later."

Before Uno could ask, Nanoha was in motion, jumping onto the back of the Captain and wrenching him to the floor. As his partner turned in surprise, Nanoha sprung up and punch him across the face, pain lancing up her fist at the action. She ignored it, however, quickly turning and beginning to break the binds that held the girl, pulling at them with all her might.

"Don't interfere with official bureau business!" the captain demanded, pointing his staff at Nanoha and firing a green beam.

Instinctively, her hand went up and formed a Round Shield, but the blast shattered it and impacted her body, sending her flying against the wall. Dazed, she wondered why a standard enforcer's magical short could be so powerful.

"Captain, she's a mage!" Randy declared, stating the obvious.

"Of course she is, you idiot!" the captain replied angrily, advancing and firing again. "Help me take her down!"

Nanoha had managed to put up another shield, but combined firepower of the two energy beams blasted her out the door where she landed on the ground in a heap. As her consciousness faded, her ears caught one last line:

"You are under arrest..."

Xx~~*~~xX


	3. Good Intentions

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 3: Good Intentions**

Xx~~*~~xX

Uno didn't know what was more difficult to believe; Nanoha seemingly going berserk as she physically jumped the enforcers, or the fact that she was overpowered so easily. Even without a device, Uno knew Nanoha's true magical strength; there was no way those enforcers should have been able to take her. It was still an illogical move that risked everything they had worked towards, but Uno was still unable to fathom how that woman thought, but there was only one conclusion Uno could draw.

Nanoha _wanted_ to get captured.

That was the only logical reason Uno could find, except that it was still so blatantly illogical and explanation-defying, that she briefly wondered how these mages had managed to best Jail's forces all those years ago. What if they recognized who Nanoha was? What was her plan of escape? Or did she even think that far ahead? Uno regretted letting slip that the Bureau had captured others; they wouldn't be in this situation at all.

[Even though I'm your clone, sometimes I wonder what goes through your head, Doctor,] Uno wondered as she walked alone along the forest road. [Why did you clone Nanoha, and why did you send me along with her? What can she possibly do about our situation? Or are you just betting on someone who managed to beat you before? Use their own friend against them in some ironic concept?]

She sighed, mentally checking her map as she reached a crossroads, and took the left path. She had a complete map of the planet downloaded in her mind marked with all the known locations of towns, villages, bases and so forth, thus it was easy to deduce that Nanoha would have been taken to the closest facility. Well, there was always a chance the two soldiers might have recognized Nanoha, or at least taken her to Clanagan instead; but if so, then Uno's journey was at an end and they had lost. There was no way the cyborg could free Nanoha from Hayate's personal clutches, so she found herself doing something that she often derided humans for:

Hoping.

Not only that Nanoha was in the closest base, but also hope Uno could figure out a way to get Nanoha out before they realized who she was, or Hayate learned Nanoha was there. With any luck, she would be treated as just another mage among the dozens that had tried to hide but were caught.

Uno checked her internal chronometer as the sky continued to darken into night; at her current rate of travel, she'd arrive and find her answer in 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 28 seconds.

x~~*~~x

Her head throbbed with pain as she slowly awoke, the gentle bouncing of the van the second sensation that she became aware of. Nanoha Takamachi, or at least the clone of her, tried to pull herself upright, but found her arms and legs held tight by green, circular, magical binds. She knew they'd bind her, and some initial testing confirmed that she could break them at any time. But that would have to wait; there were answers she needed and this course of action, however risky, was the only way she could find them.

She raised her head, noting the young girl was bound nearby, passed out as well. It made Nanoha wonder just how long she had been out herself and if something had been administered to them both to knock them out. Also, how far they had traveled? Would Uno even be able to find her? If not, then she was truly on her own in a strange world.

The bouncing promptly stopped, and Nanoha's ears followed the sounds of doors opening and closing, and boots traveling across the ground to the van's rear entrance. Nanoha closed her eyes for now to fake being unconscious; she needed every advantage if she was going to pull this off.

The doors swung open, but there was no bright light indicating day, so it must have been night, unless they were inside a building. Nanoha waited until she had been pulled out and her arm draped across someone's shoulder, before cracking an eye open, confirming that it was the former, outside some type of facility. It was surrounded by high fences with watchtowers on the corners, but there were precious few signs of other humans; mainly drones of a couple different configurations floating around, presumably patrolling the area.

The captain was carrying Livia, so that meant that it was the one known as Randy that was carrying her own body as the quartet were taken inside the single large building; but they separated shortly thereafter down different hallways.

"I'll take this one down to the children's pen," the captain informed him starting down a side corridor. "You sure you can get her to the adult area okay?"

"Come on, Captain, when have you ever known me to screw up?" Randy replied humorously, and after the pair parted, he announced softly, "I know you're awake; I can tell by your breathing."

Surprised, Nanoha allowed both eyes to open, but he wasn't looking at her. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

He was silent for awhile, as if considering his words. "Maybe I'm a little curious. Who are you, and why did you attack us when you must have known we weren't after you?"

Nanoha also considered her reply carefully. "You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you. But you seem smarter than your captain."

"He means well, and he's a decent guy," Randy replied as they reached a door and he paused. "He's got a wife, and two kids. He does what he has to, which is all any of us can do. I assume you will as well."

There was something about him, something almost familiar, Nanoha decided, but his words confused her. Did he know who she was or what she planned to do? How could he? He only appeared about 20 or 30, and if she really had been dead for over 50 years, he wouldn't know her... would he?

He placed his free hand against a pad beside the door, which beep and slid the door open, revealing a glowing cage on the other side of the room with two other enforcers standing guard outside. Several prisoners were hunched over within the enlarged cell.

"Got another one, Randy?" one of the enforcers noted, his eyes traveling over Nanoha in a manner that she didn't find comfortable. "A good lookin' one, too."

The other enforcer opened the cage door, allowing Randy to push her in. "Cool it; you know what the boss will do to us if she catches us again."

"What makes you think she'll find out?" the first one hinted with a grin, then shrugged. "But I suppose it doesn't matter."

Nanoha hit the ground inside, the binds immediately dissolving as the door closed. Feeling a bit odd, she attempted to gather magic and realized what the issue was: an anti-magic field. It was fairly powerful, and if she had Raging Heart she probably would have been fine, but as it was, she had limited power available to her. It only seemed to exist inside the cage itself, so if she got out, she would be fine.

She took a moment to right herself and glance around the cell, taking note of the near-dozen or so other people in with her. There was plenty of room for all of them, but other than cursory glances, most of them just eventually looked away in disinterest. What got to Nanoha the most, though, was every one of them looked like people who were beaten and knew it. It was like all the hope and life were gone.

[Well, I can't rally them with the guards right there,] Nanoha realized. [I'll just have to take my chance when I see it.]

But apparently, she was wrong about at least one of the prisoners, as one of the young men nodded at her. "Name's Ken. What's yours?"

Nanoha glanced at the guards, and came to a quick decision, even though she hated to lie. "Seikou. What are you in for?"

He chuckled. "Same as you and everyone else; being an unregistered mage. But, with any luck, maybe we'll end up serving in the same unit."

She allowed a small smile to form. "Maybe. Or maybe we'll all break out of here and go home!"

Ken laughed. "Or fly away from the planet altogether!"

"Sounds good to me!" Nanoha replied, then decided to take a chance. She concentrated, focusing on Ken, "[Can you hear me?]"

Startled, he glanced at the guards, then at her, and nodded slowly.

"[If you can't respond, it's okay,]" she told him. "[This AMF is making things difficult for me, too. Is there ever a time when the guards aren't here?]"

He lowered his hand, but made a quick thumbs up sign.

"[Any idea how long until that happens?]" Nanoha asked, but was surprised when the life seemed to leave him.

He shrugged and shook his head, then mouthed. "Don't."

Nanoha was confused. "[Don't what? I think I can get us out of here, if we all work together, and-]"

Her words died as he scooted closer and hissed in a deathly quiet voice into her ear, "No. Don't think about it. We can't escape, and no one will help you if you try. Just don't."

Shaken, Nanoha just watched as he scooted away and seemingly became just another one of the quiet, mindlessly staring prisoners sitting against the walls, his earlier nature all but gone, leaving Nanoha to wonder if he was still the same person. What had gotten into these people? Were things so bad that they no longer had any hope? Was that what her purpose was to be, to bring hope back?

[I'm going to have to,] Nanoha realized, her jaw firm. [I have to show these people, and I have to rescue Livia and the other children they may have. I just need an opportunity...]

x~~*~~x

Uno's eyes zoomed in to take in the lay of the outpost; her vision wasn't as good as Dieci's, but it was decent enough to pick out all the units from the treeline, a few hundred meters away from the fence. In no time, she had cataloged all the drones and soldiers present, and picked out all the weaknesses in the defenses; it would still be quite a risk for her to break in, and she knew it would be harder still to get back out. Plus, Nanoha might not even be here, so Uno was left debating her next course of action.

Part of her was considering abandoning the effort altogether; after all, she had no idea what the doctor planned, or even it's chances of success. While she understood the secrecy in retrospect, it didn't help her now. She calculated that if she just disappeared into the countryside, she could probably live out the rest of her life normally enough.

She shook her head disregarding that plan almost immediately. Despite the situation, she was a clone of the doctor, and thus a simple life hidden in obscurity did not suit her. She would attempt to fulfill the doctor's dream as well as she could, and right now that meant finding Nanoha and getting her to safety.

Sighing, Uno began to run the calculations in her mind.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha's head went up as the door to the room swished open, and a cart was pushed in; she recognized the familiar face.

"That time again, eh?" one of the two guards noted from where he sat on his stool, his back to the cage. "Personally, I don't think dodgers should have the luxury, since the rest of us are doing our duty."

"Maybe, but them's the rules," Randy countered, pushing the cart in. "Unless you wanna talk to the boss lady about it."

Nanoha's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the guard shiver in response; was he referring to Hayate? Was she feared that much?

"No thanks," the guard replied, turning slightly to swipe his card and open the cage door. "Just get it over with."

As Randy wheeled the cart in, Nanoha bit her lips, debating. The other prisoners still hadn't shown much sign of life; even though the door was open and the two guards weren't paying much attention, having their backs to the prison cage and chatting, they didn't even seem to be thinking about escaping. Clearly, none of the guards seemed to think it was even a possibility, given the way they weren't even holding their war staves, instead just resting them against the wall nearby. Only Ken shot her a look, but it was more to discourage her from her earlier notion, then to see if she'd carry it out.

She looked up as Randy stepped in front of her and bent over to set a small dish on the cold, hard ground, with what she assumed to be some sort of gruel or hydrated protein powder; either way, it was grayish-white and not very appetizing. But what caught her attention the most, was the strange look on Randy's face; almost a sad smile, but she couldn't figure out why. Was he honestly disturbed by the situation and couldn't do anything?

He turned around and went back to his cart, still having half the prisoners to feed, apparently. Nanoha spared a quick glance at the guards again, but they had ceased their chatter, and one of them was actively leaning back against his wall, eyes closed in what looked like a quick nap. The internal debate finally came to a close as Nanoha took a deep breath.

Concentrating, she stretched out her arm, pointing her finger, three pink orbs rotating around her wrist. "Shoot!"

Randy took a shot to the back that sent him flying across the cell. The action got the attention of the two guards, who looked more startled that someone was trying something, then the fact that Nanoha was performing magic inside an AMF field; but that kept them stunned long enough for Nanoha to launch her other orbs at them, smacking them both against the far walls. As they hit the ground, she dove out through the cage door, immediately feeling stronger as the AMF faded, and fired a couple more shots at the downed guards to make sure they were out cold.

Then she turned back to the prisoners, who were staring at her much like the guards were. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting out of here. I'm sure we all have family we'd like to get back to."

They continued to sit there and stare, but it was finally Ken who leapt to his feet and addressed her. "Are you mad? I told you not to try this!"

"You wanted to become a soldier?" Nanoha questioned in surprise. "You were satisfied being locked up, away from your friends and family?"

"They were safe as long as I cooperated!" he nearly yelled at her. "None of us wants this, but we don't have a choice! There's no where we can run where the Bureau can't find us! Our only chance was keeping our magic secret, but once we were found out, the game was over. Don't you get that? Are you crazy? Even if you took out these guards, there is no way you can get past the sentinels. Even if you got past them, it would only delay the inevitable." He fell back against the wall, grabbing his head as he slid down to a sitting position. "Now my family is dead, once she learns of this."

Nanoha took a step forward, gathering her thoughts. "Why are you so afraid? You'd rather die as slaves, then fight to be free? Yes, it's dangerous, but what about your families? Your children; what about them? You want them to go through this, too? I can't make you fight, and I'll do this alone if I must, but I've never given up before when the odds were against me, and I'm not about to start now."

Ken just stared at her as if she had just grown two heads. "You're crazy. You can't be from around here. And if where you were from is any better, I suggest you go back there and leave us alone; you'll get us all killed."

"No, she's right," Randy replied, groaning as he slowly picked himself up, Nanoha raising her finger to point at him. "I've seen what goes on, and this isn't right. My grandfather used to tell me of a time when things were better, when mages worked for the betterment of society and actually protected people. I never really believed him... until now."

Nanoha was oddly a bit uncomfortable as Randy looked at her, and something niggled at the back of her mind, but she couldn't place it.

"You can put that away," Randy chuckled, indicating her glowing finger. "If you want to get out of here with these people, you'll need my help. I've already killed the sensors in here, but it won't last long. There would have been an alarm already if I hadn't of remotely disconnected it earlier; I guessed that you might make a move."

"Why?" Nanoha asked him, confused.

"Later," he told her, turning to the rest. "Not everyone is content to be a slave. There is a resistance. Go take your families and join them. If it grows large enough, we can take back our planet."

Ken's head came up. "A resistance? They are just a myth."

Randy shook his head. "No, as an enforcer, I was told about them. They aren't active on this continent, but they are across the ocean. I'm going to join them, and try to make a new life on this planet. I'm sick of dragging little girls into the army, sick of locking people up whose only crime was wanting to leave a peaceful life with their family."

For some reason, Nanoha believed him, and she reached up to put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

His words must have some effect, because one prisoner stood up and slowly walked to the cage door, pausing a moment before stepping through. He offered a brief smile, then shrugged. "I don't have a family, and I don't really want to fight. But what have I got to lose?"

One by one, the rest followed his lead, until only Ken was left.

"You're all crazy," he declared in disbelief, then sighed and dragged himself to his feet. "You'll all be killed. At least as a soldier you can live, and your families will survive. Why?"

"Hope," Randy replied simply, picking up his staff, then grabbing one of the guard's staves and tossing it to Nanoha, who caught it easily in her left hand. "That's what she brings."

Ken shook his head. "Fine. We're dead anyway, so might as well." He crossed the gate threshold. "Now what?"

"Now, we get the children and get out of here," Nanoha replied, smiling, getting a feel for the staff's weight. "Let's go."

Randy opened the outer door, and gestured that the coast was clear. "This way; the children are being held in a cage just down the corridor and to the left. But I wasn't able to get to that alarm, so once we break them out, they'll know what's up; we'll have sentinel drones all over us. You have a plan?"

"I figured I'd just blow them all up," Nanoha told him straight up, and he had to stare at her for a moment to see if she was serious. "What?"

He shook his head. "I'll tell you later. I may have a better way; several floors up in the control tower is a relay for the drones for this sector. I can mess up the network and scramble the systems, which will buy us some time, but I don't know how long it will last. Maybe a minute at most before the master control reasserts itself. Still, the drones will be offline, and much easier to destroy. There's usually only a half-dozen enforcers stationed here at any one time; they mainly rely on the sentinels for security."

"Then you should take me there,"came a familiar female voice from above.

The group paused, gaping as the grating on the ventilation system was kicked out and female in a jumpsuit plopped down beside the group.

"Uno!" Nanoha exclaimed, never realizing she'd be so happy to see the cyborg. "You did find me! How did you get in?" 

She shrugged. "After analysis, I discovered there was a 3.3 second gap in the patrol coverage outside. And oddly enough, the ventilation system is just big enough for a human, which is where I was hiding until you made your move. I'm quite surprised these facilities are so flawed." She shrugged again, then turned to Randy. "If you can take me to the relay center, I can upload a virus that will take the network down for hours, if not days.

Randy stared at her, incredulous. "And how would you know how to do that?"

"I helped design them," Uno said simply. "The doctor always made sure to include back doors on anything he programmed."

"Easy, Randy, we can trust her," Nanoha soothed, as the enforcer and the prisoners started at her in shock. She bit her lip. "But you'll have to go with her while I free the children."

While he appeared uncomfortable, Randy took one look at Nanoha, then nodded, before turning back to Uno. "Alright, this way."

The groups split up.

x~~*~~x

"Commander, I'm reading an anomaly in Sector 002," one of the male technicians announced from his station in a detached monotone voice.

The commander's head came up as she frowned. "Sector 002? What kind of reading?"

"Relaying it now, but it looks I'm getting some power distribution errors," he replied. "And I thought I saw an alarm go off for a brief second before it shut off. Also, communications with the base in that sector seems to be down. Could be a glitch. I'll send some people to check up on them."

"No," the commander replied, eyes narrowing. "It's in my sector, I'll deal with it. I can fly out there in 20 minutes."

The technician didn't disagree, as his commander turned and left the room, black cape and gold hair swaying behind her.

x~~*~~x

What surprised Randy the most was the way this so-called drone designer moved. As he figured, the relay control room was only manned by two lackadaisical enforcers and Uno quickly put them out of action after bursting into the room. She was far stronger than he believed, and moved quicker than he would have given her credit for. Now one enforcer was out unconscious, while the other dragged himself party-way up against the wall, arm across his mid-section while blood leaked from his mouth.

"What are you... doing, Randy?" the enforcer managed to spit out, clearly having trouble breathing.

Randy knelt down and checked the man's vitals as Uno began tapping away at holographic keyboards. "I'm sorry, but things have to change, Zo. I promise you won't be killed; medical help should arrive after we're gone with the prisoners."

Zo barked out a laugh, which turned into coughs. "You may as well kill me now. I'm as good as dead when she finds out how I failed."

"You could always join us," Randy suggested, tactfully, but he knew the answer as soon as he said it.

"I'm not a traitor," Zo accused, coughing up more blood. "I took an oath, same as you. What made you betray it?"

"Because I-" Randy started to reply, but was cut off as the alarm blared and the room flashed red. "Dammit, I thought we'd have more time!"

Zo chuckled. "She's tripped the system's protection. We're all dead now. This entire complex will self-destruct. It's to prevent tampering just like this."

Randy Spun on Uno. "I thought you knew what you were doing!"

"I had little choice," the cyborg replied, her fingers dancing at a dizzying speed across multiple keyboards. "They are alert to anomalies in the system, so I had to move quickly. The virus is almost complete. As an enforcer rank A, you should be able to provide proper shielding."

Randy glanced at his two former compatriots. "If it was just you and me, but I'm not leaving them to die!"

Uno didn't miss a beat. "I calculated as such. We are on the top floor; blast a hole in the ceiling while I contact our companions."

Randy pointed his staff upwards as he gathered his magic, hoping she knew what she was doing.

x~~*~~x

"I really hope Uno does her thing soon!" Nanoha noted with alarm, blocking several more shots with her shield and returning fire with the staff, clipping a sentinel and sending it spinning into a wall, but two more came around the corner along with a pair of enforcers, she quickly came to a decision as she tossed the staff at another mage. "Someone else use this! I'm getting us out of here!"

Two mages providing cover fire while the rest shielded, while Nanoha turned toward the wall and gathered her magic, hoping she could put enough into this without Raging Heart. But then one of the mages firing the staff was hit as the spherical sentinel drones penetrated the shielding and struck. Cursing, she spun and yelled for everyone to get down.

"Divine... Buster!" she cried, thrusting both palms out, a pink beam of energy exploding outward.

The two drones were enveloped and blasted against the ceiling, as the two enforcers down the hall hit the ground. The magical energy wave ripped through the top of the corridor and continued on, bursting into the night air.

When it was over, Nanoha blinked at her hands, bewildered. [That was almost stronger than my normal busters; but I don't have Raging Heart, so why?]

She didn't have time to ponder it, as she received an urgent telepathic message from Uno and quickly threw up a Protection barrier around the group. "Everyone, put all your strength into the shield, NOW!"

Most complied as their surroundings erupted a second later, and the base was consumed by hellfire.

x~~*~~x

He had barely survived the explosion. If it hadn't been for the system warning in his communicator, he would be dead now. As it was, young agent Jayd paid the ultimate price, his own barrier not being up to the task.

Captain Granz grit his teeth, unable to move, and shocked as the pink barrier faded a dozen meters away. It was so hard to see due to the blood over one eye and the other being blurry, but Captain Granz could just make out shapes in front of him with one of them being the demon, the destroyer. She had been fending off the sentinels with ease, and with one shot, took out two of them with enough force to blast through the walls of the base, too. And she managed to shield an entire group of people!

He hadn't seen such power since that one time he witnessed his boss fight; if he didn't know any better, he'd swear the demon in front of him might almost be on an even power level. He had failed in his duty to protect this facility, and he might not survive long, but he had one chance to make up for things.

He had to kill her.

Even though his lower half was covered in rubble and his legs were most likely crushed, he realized he still had a grip on his staff in his right hand. With all the strength he could muster, he slowly brought it up, the blurs shifting as his visioned worsened, his hands a bit unsteady as he aimed. He had to put everything he had left into this shot; he couldn't let her leave this location alive.

He fired.

x~~*~~x

"Is everyone alright?" Nanoha asked, drained; that had taken a lot out of her.

"What the hell are you?" Ken demanded to know, the rest of the prisoners staring at her. "You took out those sentinels like they were nothing, and you have barriers strong enough to survive an explosion?"

"Practice," Nanoha replied, smiling. "Besides, we all helped on the barrier."

Before Ken could form a reply to that, Uno landed nearby her and laid down the two enforcers she had been carrying, while Randy touched down beside her.

"Uno!" she exclaimed as they walked up to her. "Randy! Are you two okay? How did you survive?"

"I jumped," Uno explained simply, as if that explained everything, then glanced around at the wreckage, some of it still burning. "But I suggest we relocate elsewhere. It won't take them long to send reinforcements here."

Nanoha shook her head, then looked around, searching as some of the prisoners began to run for the nearby forest, escaping. "After we get what we came for. Livia?"

"H-here," came a small frightened voice nearby.

"I've come to take you back to your father," Nanoha told her, kneeling down next to her. "I-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Nanoha turned in slow motion at Randy's shout, her head coming around just in time to see his body block her vision. His hastily formed shield shattered, and blood spattered against her cheek and backside, his form slowly collapsing toward her. Time seemingly returned to normal as she finished turning, catching his body in her arms as he fell, a small bloody hole in his chest. The shooter was several meters away, mostly buried under rubble, and collapsed after the shot.

[That was lethal magic!] Nanoha realized in shock, as Randy shook her arms, coughing up blood. "I'll get you to a healer, hold on!"

"Too late," he gargled, his fingers raising to her cheek. "No time. Save them... Nanoha..."

Her eyes widened. "How did you know? Why didn't you say before?"

Randy smiled. "Grandpa... showed me pictures and told me stories... about the Ace of Aces that... never gave up. He told me... he served on a ship with you once..." With his other hand, he lifted his staff and pushed it at Nanoha. "Save them..."

His eyes rolled up in his head as his hand dropped from her cheek, leaving a pair of blood streaks along her face. Nanoha could only watch in numb shock as the life left his body, and there she might have stayed, had she not felt Uno's hand on her shoulder.

"Nanoha, we have to go," the cyborg said softly, yet urgently. "There is nothing more we can do for him, but we must get away before reinforcements show up."

Numb, Nanoha nodded, laying the body down gently, gripping the blood-spattered staff in her left hand; she had seen death before, but not quite like that, not right up close, by someone giving their life for her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice nearly catching in her throat as she reached up and slid his eyes closed.

She barely registered Uno picking Livia up with one arm, while grabbing Nanoha's hand and pulling her away; instead, a single thought kept reverberating through her head.

_It wasn't supposed to be this way._

Xx~~*~~xX


	4. Discoveries

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 4: Discoveries**

Xx~~*~~xX

Her eyes widened and her lips slowly curved into a surprised snarl as she touched down admist the wreckage. Most of the fires were out, but some pieces of twisted metal still smoldered, and the metallic smell of burnt flesh and steel almost overpowered her nostrils, forcing her to cast a quick spell to form a golden shield over her nose and mouth to filter out the putrid air and allow her to breathe. What had happened here?

Her grip tightened on her weapon as she spied an enforcer nearby, half buried in rubble, and she quickly leapt over to him, blasting away the material covering him and rolling him over onto his back to check his neck pulse.

"Who did this?" she demanded to know.

His eyes fluttered open slightly, but they were unfocused and he was delirious. "Demon... destroyer... oooh..."

And then promptly passed out again. Given the look of his lower half, the blood covering his twisted legs, she figured it was a miracle that he was even still alive. Still, he might be saved if the medical unit got here fast enough, though she wanted answers now.

Setting him down, she spied three more enforcers nearby and went to check on them. One was obviously dead, a small hole in his chest that cut through his left lung, while the other two appeared merely unconscious, but also bruised and bloody, as if they had been physically beat up. Attempts to wake either of them failed, and she snarled again as she glanced around, detecting no other signs of life.

[Six of my men were stationed here, and only two, maybe three are still alive!] she thought in disbelief.

She raised her right hand and spoke to her weapon. "Interface with any working systems still in the area. Get me the identities of everyone who was here in the past few hours."

"Processing," her device replied. "Several fragments retrieved from surviving black boxes."

A holographic screen opened to her left, showcasing Hayate's face. "What are you doing, Fate?"

The golden haired woman didn't even turn as a second screen opened, various faces of her enforcers and prisoners cycling through. "Someone attacked one of my bases, and I attempting to find out who."

"Leave that to others, I have a special mission for you," Hayate informed her. "There is some trouble on world #32 that I need you to handle personally."

"This shouldn't take me long," Fate countered, still studying her rotating screen of pictures.

"Leave that to someone else," Hayate repeated in a more commanding voice. "And return to Clanagan. This is urgent."

Fate finally turned, raising an eyebrow. "You're trying to keep me from this; You're hiding something. What? And why?"

"I don't need to explain myself," Hayate told her tacitly. "You will go where I order."

Fate's face suddenly jerked back to the other screen, as something familiar caught the edge of her peripheral vision. "Replay that last image!"

Bardiche complied, and Fate's eyes grew wide as the picture zoomed in on _her_ face and time stopped.

The enforcer commander stood there, her grip tightening on Bardiche's shaft, her eyes studying every curve of the face in the picture; the long, brown hair tied in a pony tail, and the big blue eyes that glared defiantly as pink magical energy erupted from her hands all spoke to a woman who had died years ago... or had she?

_Nanoha..._

It couldn't be, Fate decided; it was impossible! Nanoha looked like she hadn't aged a day from when Fate last knew her!

"Bardiche, reply any audio associated with this image and time frame, and relay to my communicator," she commanded, reaching a finger up to right ear.

Fate closed her eyes as a sweet, lyrical voice she hadn't heard in decades sounded in her ears, tuning out Hayate calling Fate's name. Unbeknownst to her, the enforcer's hands began to tremble as a wellspring of emotions she thought long buried began to well up against her will.

Eventually the audio ended, and she became aware of Hayate addressing her. "It's not who you think it is. Jail created a clone, for a purpose we don't know yet. It's not her."

"I'll find out," Fate announced finally, her eyes snapping open again, her mind made up.

"No," Hayate repeated firmly. "As I said, I have a different mission for you. I'm assigning someone else to this."

"Like hell!" Fate shot back, finally turning to glare at the Supreme Commander's screen. "I should be the one to do this, because I-"

"That is exactly why you can't!" Hayate nearly yelled, finally raising her voice and cutting the other woman off. "I know very well how you feel; you're too close. Jail was probably counting on that as a psychological tactic against us. Whatever he's programmed this clone to do, I need someone who knows what she can do, _and_ can keep a clear head."

"Don't you think I know that!" Fate nearly snarled rhetorically, glaring at Hayate for several moments. "I won't let him pervert her memory with an abomination!"

For several long minutes, the two women glared at each other, defiance mirrored on each visage, each wondering whether the other would break first.

It was Fate, who finally spat out an exasperated, "Who?"

It was Hayate's turn to pause before answering, "An old protege of yours. She can easily match whatever this Nanoha-clone can dish out."

This time, Fate _did_ snarl. "No! I'll handle it!"

She promptly took off into the sky, the holographic screen keeping pace along beside her.

"Return to Clanagan, Fate, that's a direct order!" Hayate commanded, but it fell on deaf ears as Fate cut the connection.

x~~*~~x

"Uno, slow down, the others need to rest!" Nanoha beseeched the cyborg, sparing a glance back at the three adult prisoners, one of which carried one of the children.

Nanoha herself carried Livia, while Uno carried two others and led the way. The rest of the prisoners had dispersed and gone their different ways, a few with some of the children since they were from the same village, but Ken and two of the others had decided to follow Nanoha. Whether it was just because they were headed in the same direction, or another reason, she didn't know, and hadn't felt comfortable asking.

"We have to keep moving," Uno told them without looking back. "There is a minimum of 22.4 minutes from the time I triggered the alert, to the nearest point at which that facility can receive reinforcements. They will obviously search the area, and a satellite passes overhead in approximately 2.4 minutes."

"Then we need to find some place to hide," Nanoha deduced, glancing around a the forest trees.

"Based upon the ground surveys, we should reach such a location in 2.2 minutes if we maintain this pace," Uno informed them.

Nanoha spared another glance back, but Ken and the other two nodded at her, despite looking winded; they'd keep going somehow, until they reached safety. Nanoah switched Livia into her other arm, being used to harder workouts, but wondered if the others could last as the ground grew rockier along Uno's chosen path. It was apparent that they were gaining some elevation.

But they did make it, Uno leading them into a cave in the lower foothills of a mountain range that had just enough room to enter, although Nanoha had to duck a bit. Uno set her children down and continued moving forward, making Nanoha wonder what she was up to as her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness within, then became aware they weren't alone; something was in there.

[A razorbear!] Nanoha realized as the large animal lunged at Uno, who promptly sidestepped and slammed it into the ground, then broke it's neck. She stared at the surreal scene; it was over so quickly that she could hardly believe what had just happened; out of the corner of her eye she could see that her companions were equally in shock.

The moment was broken by Uno collapsing to the ground, and Nanoha set Livia down to quickly cross over to the cyborg, rolling her onto her back. "Are you okay?"

"I am a bit weak," Uno confessed, her head barely moving. "I used up most of the rest of my rationed power. But you and the others can cook the bear for food. That should provide us with enough energy to reach Hellena tomorrow. I presume you wish to return the girl to her father."

Nanoha nodded, realizing for the first time just how far Uno was pushing herself to help her. Nanoha removed her own brown cloak and folded it up, using it as a pillow for Uno's head.

"That is not needed, as I do not require the comforts weaker humans do," Uno told her flatly.

Nanoha couldn't help but smile. "Uno, thank you."

The cyborg merely raised an eyebrow, as one of the former prisoners began to skin the bear.

x~~*~~x

Light droplets of rain alighted upon her barrier jacket and exposed skin, as Fate flew through the sky, scanning the forest below. Logically, she knew there was little chance of her finding the Nanoha clone now, but something inside her still drove her on.

_"It's okay, Fate-chan, I'll be fine, just like always!"_

_"Nanoha!"_

Fate's teeth clenched against the cold, even though her barrier jacket provided ample warmth; but the cold came from within, not without, as long-buried memories resurfaced.

_"Nanoha, stop!" Fate cried, advancing forward. "You can't!"_

_Binds went up, holding her fast, and she glanced back at the person who had cast them, the only one with enough magic power and mana to hold her like this._

_"You can't help her," Hayate said sadly. "None of us can. She's the only one of us who can do this."_

_"Let me go, Hayate!" Fate demanded, voice raising. "If we don't do something-"_

_A horribly pained scream sounded from in front of them, snapping Fate's head forward again. "NANOHA!"_

"Damn it," Fate hissed under her breath, a tear appearing in her eye. "I don't want this!"

_They couldn't see her, as the bright, white light was growing, consuming everything; and it would reach them soon. But they held their ground, their faith in their comrade secure._

_And the light began to fade._

"Caution, flight level unstable," Bardiche intoned, as Fate wobbled a bit in mid-air, the tips of the trees coming closer, her clothes slowly becoming more moist as the spattering of rain grew in volume.

_She had done it; she always had, of course. But this time there was a grave cost. Her body was still warm as Fate took the other woman's hand, but it was growing colder. Nanoha smiled at them, but was unable to speak._

_"Do something!" Fate shouted in anguish at Shamal, who was busy scanning the body._

_"Everything's deteriorating!" the doctor replied, just barely managing to hold her composure. "Every organ, every part of her; it's a miracle she's even holding together!"_

_Fate noticed Nanoha trying to mouth something, and she leaned down to put her ear to the other woman's lips, but she could only fear the barest whisper of breath against her cheek._

_And then she was gone._

Fate barely managed a landing on the soft forest floor and collapsed onto her knees. "Damn you, Jail... Damn you for making me relive this! I dealt with all this years ago!"

Her wet cheeks told her otherwise, but she told herself it was just the rain. Still, there was a knot inside her that she needed to get out; a buildup that threatened to tear her apart as she lifted her face to the dreary sky and screamed, a howl that was punctuated by several lightning bolts that arced down from the clouds above, exploding upon the ground all around her.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha gazed into the darkened water of the small lake, barely lit by the light of the twin moons, mostly shrouded by clothes. A mirror image that was her own, and yet not her own, stared back at her; it was a visage she had seen so often in the mirror, but was it really her? And now, she kept seeing the images of Randy in her mind, his body being struck, the blood flying out, and then dying in her arms.

He was someone she barely knew, and wasn't close to at all; the same should have been true in reverse. And yet, there was a familiarity there, a tenuous link, and he decided to toss his lot in with her. Why? Who was he? Who was his grandfather? What did he say his name was?

Nanoha rubbed her temples as she thought back and light droplets of rain began to fall; did she know a Randy? The maddening thought continued to taunt her, just out of range on the periphery of her mind as she felt more than heard Uno's quiet steps come up beside her; the cyborg was back on her feet after their dinner.

"Who was he?" Nanoha asked softly without looking up. "Who was his grandfather?"

"I analyzed his DNA from a blood sample taken from his staff and compared it to my internal database," Uno replied after a moment. "His grandfather was Randy Kales and he served as part of Admiral Lindy Harlaown's crew for a few years. I believe you were 10 years old at the time."

A light flashed in Nanoha's mind. "I remember! Alex and Randy; I barely knew them. I think I only talked to them a few times. I, or rather the real Nanoha, was only nine years old at the time. And yet, somehow, his stories of me encouraged his grandson enough to betray his friends and companions to help me."

And there it was, the reason for the crushing weight she had been feeling ever since they left the base: _because of her._ Simply because of who she was, a man gave his life after a few moments of meeting her; if she hadn't gone on the rescue, he would still be alive. It had to be done, and she still believed it was the right thing to do, but that didn't make it sit any better with her.

Uno took a hold of Nanoha's arm, trying to pull her away from the lake as the rain continued to intensify. "Come, we should go back inside the cave before we get too wet."

Nanoha didn't reply, but instead reached down to pick up a small stone and tossed it into the water, her mirror image distorting and fading among the ripples.

Then both paused and looked up as something like a banshee's howl distantly echoed off the trees and hills, coupled with multiple flashes, with the sound of thunder following several seconds later. They slowly locked gazes after, each having the same thought:

_What in the world was that?_

x~~*~~x

Nanoha realized she wanted to ask Uno more about what happened, about her friends, and the past when they returned to the cave, but the cyborg indicated that she should hold off for now; she didn't seem to want to let the others they were traveling with know who Nanoha was. The cloned girl supposed she could understand that; the less people who knew who she was, the better; it would also keep them safe.

But why was Hayate even an enemy in the first place? Why had she changed so much to cause her to inflict all this on the people? Ken and the others were literally terrified of her, which didn't fit the image of the smart, confident, but humble young woman she used to know.

And what of the others? Fate, Yuuno, Vivio, and her other family and friends... were they a part of this, too? Apparently, her answers would have to wait.

Fortunately, she wouldn't have to wait too long, though, as after setting out the next morning, and parting with one of the prisoners who took three of the children with him back to his village where they all came from, the rest of the group eventually arrived back in the fishing village of Hellena late that afternoon.

Uno had been setting a slower pace this time, claiming it was mainly because by this time the bureau would have enlarged the search area to a much larger radius, and without the sentinel drones they'd have a much harder time finding them. Also, the next satellite wouldn't pass overhead for hours, and they would have plenty of time to find a hiding spot before then. As far as the Bureau was concerned, they could be anywhere on the continent by now.

At least, that was her excuse, but Nanoha wondered if Uno wasn't just softening a bit.

Still, the return of Livia to her father persuaded the man to use his boat to take the small group to Organtz after a small dinner. And so, late that night as the old vessel creaked it's way across the ocean under shrouded moonlight, Nanoha was finally able to ask Uno her questions upon finding a moment alone with her.

"My memory banks contain no mention of Yunno Scrya or Vivio Takamachi," the cyborg told her, disheartening the cloned girl. "Other than their status as of the end of the Cradle incident. We were in prison for several years with limited contact of the outside world, and once Hayate finally released us to work for her, she still curtailed where we could go and the information we had access to."

"And Fate?" Nanoha probed hopefully, even though she felt a sense of emptiness at the lack of knowledge about her childhood friend and daughter.

"Currently Hayate's head enforcer," Uno informed her solemnly. "It was rumored she had custody of Vivio, but I am unaware as to what the current status of your daughter is. However, like Hayate Yagami, Fate Harlaown isn't the person you used to know; she commands the entire enforcer division with precision and fear."

Nanoha gazed down into the water, barely able to see her reflection in the darkness and small lapping waves. "I see. How about my family?"

"I assume you mean your one from Earth," Uno replied. "I regret that is also information I do not have. Mid-Childa has lost contact with much of the other worlds in the dimensional sea; communications is directly monitored and handled by the Bureau now."

"Well, what _can_ you tell me!" Nanoha asked in exasperation. "What happened, other than my death, that caused all of this? Because it couldn't have been just me! Hayate, Fate... none of them would have wanted this kind of world!"

Uno merely gazed at Nanoha, her face a mixture of curiosity and vexation; but then she finally spoke. "While your death was the start that caused Hayate to campaign for more resources to handle lost logia on Mid-Childa, what finally pushed her to aiming for the top positions was an event that happened two years later; two members of her family, Zafira and Shamal, died in a terrorist bombing. it was-"

Nanoha's eyes were wide at the revelation, but was equally surprised when Uno cut off and moved past her. "What is it?"

Uno glanced in the nearby doorway. "I thought I heart someone..."

x~~*~~x

Ken's eyes were wide as he stood out of sight at the bottom of the stairs in the ship's hold. He had just come up to get some air before turning in for the night and caught the tail end of the conversation between those two women; he wanted to hear more, but he quickly and quietly went below when the other cut off, figuring she might have heard his his rapidly beating heart and shaking legs. Two words went through his mind, over and over.

_Your death..._

He grit his teeth, willing his body to stop, but meeting with only moderate success. [She's supposed to be dead? Who the hell is she!]

x~~*~~x

"Well, well, look who's back," Wendi noted snidely as Fate entered Hayate's command room. "How nice of you to join us, Fate S. Harlaown; Did you have a good cry?"

The wall next to Wendi's head exploded in a shower of golden sparks, as Fate casually lowered her smoking fingers, not even bothering to look at the cyborg girl glaring back at her; but Fate smiled inwardly at detecting the slight fear in the girl's eyes. There was no way Wendi would have known about Fate's momentary breakdown, so it was only an a calculated guess designed to hit close to home.

"I'll thank you not to shoot up up my command center," Hayate reminded her Enforcer commander without bothering to turn her chair around from her screen. "I take it you are ready for your new assignment now?"

"Don't toy with me, Hayate, we both know what this is really about," Fate told her pointedly, then turned her head slightly to glare at another woman, standing half in shadow, in the corner, her face hidden. "You better bring her in alive."

"Don't tell my sis what to do!" Wendi growled angrily, leaping in front of the hidden woman; she was rewarded when the woman reached up and affectionately helped brush the debris from the cyborg's hair.

"I give the orders," Hayate declared quickly to prevent the two from coming to blows again, finally turning to gaze at her insubordinate subordinate. "Never forget who calls the shots here."

Fate met her gaze for a few seconds, then shrugged. "So what is this assignment you have for me?"

"An old friend of ours," Hayate offered mysteriously, smiling slightly. "We've obtained some intel on her location, and I need you to head up the localized search."

Fate raised an eyebrow. "Why me? Other than than you want me off the Nanoha-clone case."

Hayate opened an window, displaying an image and stats, nothing that Fate's visage slowly darkened. "Go take your anger out on her. And bring any of her companions to me."

The Enforcer commander looked back over at Hayate, sparing a side glance to the woman behind Wendi. "One condition: you bring this Nanoha clone in alive."

Hayate nodded, which Fate seemed to accept as she turned and strode out of the command chamber, while Hayate leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"Are you sure that was a wise idea?" the woman behind Wendi in the corner inquired. "I thought you wanted her ability because-"

"My reasons are my own," Hayate reminded her. "Besides, my intelligence suggests it's no longer worth it; it has been getting steadily less accurate these past few years. And I know Fate will bring her in alive, anyway; there is information she wants, so Fate won't let her die until she gets it."

The woman in the corner shrugged, as if she really didn't care much. "Is that what you want from me, too? Bring in this Nanoha clone in for information?"

Hayate paused for a minute before answering. "We don't know what Jail intends for her. The clone itself could be Nanoha in every respect, and be unaware of whatever programming he has instilled in her, and could cause a lot of damage, so there is only one thing we can do." The Supreme Commander of the Bureau swiveled her chair to face her other subordinate.

"For her own good, I want you to find her, and then kill her."

The woman half-hidden in shadows finally leaned forward, wrapping her arms tenderly around Wendi's neck; Teana Lanster slowly smiled and licked her lips.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

"What! No confrontation between Nanoha and Fate! YOU CHEATED US!"

I know, I know, it was mean of me; but don't worry, it'll come in time. ;p


	5. The Greater Good

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 5: The Greater Good**

Xx~~*~~xX

_"Well, it seems like the program is working, then?" Hayate inquired, her lips curving upwards into a gentle, but pleased smile._

_Shamal nodded from the holoscreen. "We're doing a lot of good here; setting up this hospital on Orussia to treat the injured was a great idea! Already, it seems a lot of the tribes involved in the civil war are seeing what we can do, and are starting to feel like what we offer is worth protecting."_

_"Well, after the Mariage incident, I felt it only prudent to do something about the suffering," Hayate replied. "There were more than a few detractors who felt we shouldn't get involved at all since it was a civil war, but after we lost Nanoha, I've realized that we need to be pro-active and deal with these things before they become a problem. If we had, then Toredia and Runessa wouldn't have killed a lot of people, and Nanoha would still be with us."_

_The doctor on the other end nodded. "I agree with you, 100%, and I also wanted to thank you for sending Zafira out. His help with the security has really-"_

_The screen suddenly flashed white and went offline._

_"Shamal?" Hayate called, tapping away at her holographic keyboard, trying to re-establish contact._

_Her whole body suddenly seized up, concentrating as a constricting force in her upper chest, and she sent a nearby plate to the floor as she flailed and collapsed to her knees. Gasping for breath, her hand went to her chest as a chill radiated throughout her arms and legs, leaving her frigid and partially numb, unable to call for help while she hit the floor._

_"Hayate!" Vita called, bursting into her mistress's room, a small form in her hands. "Rein suddenly passed out and... HAYATE!"_

_***FLASH!***_

_Almost before the transporter effects faded, Hayate was in motion towards the scene, Signum and Vita right behind her._

_"Commander Hayate!" an Enforcer captain who appeared to be in charge saluted, then fell into step beside her. "We haven't completed our investigation yet, but it was a fairly powerful explosive that took out the entire facility. So far, we haven't found any survivors."_

No survivors...

_The two words echoed inside her, as Hayate flew over the rubble, distress mounting as she searched for life. Logically, a part of her mind told her that if there was someone still alive, the enforcers below going through the wreckage would have found them by now._

They couldn't be dead!

_She landed and began frantically digging near a larger pile of rubble, tears that she had been holding back for the entire trip over, beginning to sting her eyes. She ignored her fingernails filling with dirt, and the small scraps on her hands from the twisted metal._

_"Ma'am, with all due respect, you should let us handle-" the captain started to say._

_"Shut up!" Hayate shot back at him without turning or stopping. "They have to still be in here somewhere! Get your men to work harder!"_

_"Hayate..." Vita intoned worriedly._

_"We'll take it of it," Signum told the captain, relieving him and sending him on his way "Return to your men and continue with your duty."_

_"Help me, you two!" Hayate called. "I know they have to be in here!"_

_Vita couldn't stand it anymore, and surged forward, wrapping her arms around her mistress and pulling her back. "Hayate, please stop!"_

_"Let me go, Vita!" Hayate nearly snarled. "They are your family, too!"_

_"I know that!" the little hammer knight yelled. "But they're gone, you know that, and they wouldn't want you to act like this!"_

_Hayate froze. Her gaze dropped down to her dirty hands, tinged red with blood, then collapsed to her knees while burying her face in the crook of Vita's neck as the tears continued to come unbidden, all the while hoping the two had somehow managed to get away or survive._

_"Shamal... Zafira..."_

_But she knew they hadn't; she knew the instant the communication was cut what had happened. As the months and years went by, she finally accepted that they weren't coming back, and with their linker cores gone, there was no way to reconstitute them._

_Two treasured members of her family were gone._

Hayate awoke and sat up, gasping for air in the darkness, her nightshirt clinging to her sweaty body; that was the first time in a long time she had that dream and it was just as painful to remember as it was to experience the first time. She hugged her arms around her body and shivered as the cool air in her bedroom danced over her wet skin, taking several moments to regain her composure.

"[I saw,]" came Rein's voice from inside her head, still unisoned with Hayate.

"It's Jail's fault," Hayate nearly spat. "Because of his Nanoha clone, my memories have drifted back lately to that time; that's why I had the dream."

"[There was nothing you could have done,]" Rein told her.

"I let Nanoha go to her death," Hayate countered. "I sent Shamal and Zafira to that planet, and I kept Jail around and gave him too much freedom! I should have known better." She shook her head and laid back down, eyes closing. "Now I'm going back to sleep. You keep quiet and keep watch, like always."

"[Yes, mistress,]" Rein replied dutifully.

Hayate felt a small surge of comfort at the words; Rein always kept watch while Hayate was asleep, and she in-turn protected Rein while the little unison device slept inside her. They rarely, if ever, separated, and thus were guaranteed to always be together, in order to keep each other safe.

x~~*~~x

"Here are the dishes from the couple that was at table 5," Nanoha announced, coming into the kitchen and placing the tray down by the sink. "They just left, so the place is empty."

A woman in her late 30's looked up from the stove, looking gracious with relief mixed in. "Thank you, Seikou. I'm not sure I would have been able to keep this place open for much longer if you and your friend hadn't shown up."

Nanoha smiled gently back in response, honestly happy as she began to washing the plates and silverware. "It's no problem, Mrs. Mellowan We should be grateful to you for taking us in like this on short notice."

"I told you, call me Neyra," the other woman admonished, shutting off the stove, and beginning to work on a salad. "And I'll have dinner ready in a bit; could you take the garbage out once you're done with the dishes? I'll close and lock the front door in a bit."

Nanoha nodded, placing the plates and cups on the rack to dry, then grabbed the large drawstring plastic sack and headed for the back door.

As she went, she reflected at how well things worked out; she still felt a bit bad for using her false name, but she knew it was for Neyra's own protection. "Nanoha" needed to keep a low profile, at least until she could discover what Jail's plan was and thus whether to follow through on it or not. In the meantime, they had a place to stay, and were able to earn some money so that Uno could purchase the things she needed to repair the amulet; the cyborg was out getting some supplies at the moment, both for them and the restaurant, but would be back later.

As she tossed the sack into the dumpster and wiped her hands, Nanoha wondered what to make of this town; unlike Hellena, Organtz was a large, bustling merchant town, made of stone and multiple terraces. People from all around came to sell their goods, or catch a ship across the ocean to other areas. It was known as a "Free City" since the law was more lax here, due to the Bureau leaving it mostly alone. That meant people could speak their minds more, but most did not; despite the cheerier atmosphere, Nanoha could sense the caution and apprehension just under the surface.

She sighed as she headed back to the restaurant, reaching up to untie her head scarf that kept her twin pony-tails bound, remembering the little bit that Uno had told her about Zafira and Shamal dying. The sad thing was, she could see Hayate being hit hard by that and her resulting push to pacify Orussia afterwards. Some in the Bureau apaprently disagreed, but Hayate was able to accumulate enough influence to see that it happened, increasing the size of the Mid-Childa army under the guise of using it for humanitarian purposes like stopping civil wars, something the Bureau had never sanctioned before. She succeeded, though, and was hailed as a hero for bringing peace to a war-torn planet.

"No, Jerhyn, I'm sorry, but I can't," Nerya's voice drifted in from the dining area as Nanoha re-entered the kitchen, breaking the cloned woman out of her thoughts.

"Please, Mrs. Wellowan?" begged a light male voice. "Just one poster? It's taken me months to get the permits for this! People need to know about it!"

Nanoha glanced through the open section where the meals were transferred from kitchen to dining area, just in time to see Neyra sigh.

"I barely get enough customers as it is," the older woman replied, hands on her hips. "If I allow seditious posters to go up, I'd scare away what I have and be forced to close! I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I can't help you."

The young man named Jerhyn, appearing in his early 20's, also sighed in frustration and waved his small paper. "They're not seditious! True citizens of Mid-Childa and the Bureau have a right to question the activities of their government. It's time we stopped allowing our rights to slip away, and organize to win them back!"

"I'll take one," Nanoha found herself saying as she walked into the dining area from the kitchen, in a move that surprised her as much as the other two.

Jerhyn was aghast, but eagerly thrust a paper into her hands. "Really? Thanks! We have meetings every Wednesday night at the location listed there! Bring as many friends as you can, and we can take back our government, Ms... ?"

Nanoha allowed her amusement to show. "Seikou. No promises, but I'll look it over."

He thanked her again, shot Neyra a look, then left the restaurant while Nanoha scanned over the page that read "Citizens for a Freer Mid-Childa" with a happy-looking man, woman, and two children all arranged in some sort of family photo. A byline read "Let's take back our government, before we lose what we have left!" The meeting times and address were listed below.

"Nonsense," Neyra huffed, glancing over the poster in Nanoha's hands. "Do me a favor and keep that hidden. I can't stop you from going, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't get involved. The last thing I need is the Bureau showing in an interest in me for seditious activities."

Nanoha folded it up and slipped it into the pocket of her apron as she followed Neyra into the kitchen. "Is it really that bad?"

"Before I lost my husband in the last war, I probably would have said so," the restaurant owner said, filling out four plates. "But the truth is, things aren't too bad. As long as you keep your head down, and aren't a mage, life is fairly nice. It's not worth rocking the boat at this stage. I just want to raise my son in peace."

The attitude disheartened her some, but Nanoha understood; when you have something to lose, it makes it hard to stand up for what's right, especially when there was no guarantee you would even win; Nanoha knew she could risk it, but many others couldn't. And if Jail's plan didn't pan out, and she couldn't rally the populace, there wouldn't be much of a future for any of them.

x~~*~~x

"I still don't see why she's Hayate's favorite," Wendi protested as the pair entered their quarters. "You're a much better Enforcer that she is; you could have taken over long ago!"

"Enough, Wendi," Teana told her firmly. "I have no desire for command, I told you. And if something happens with the Enforcers, Fate is ultimately responsible. I rather she suffer and drown than me."

"You still shouldn't allow her to disrespect you or order you around like that," Nove said, coming into the living room. "I heard what happened."

"There's no time for that," Teana told her, bringing up a holographic map. "I've come to collect you and check in with Dieci, so we can head out searching. I'd like to start as soon as possible; we don't know how much of this Nanoha clone resembles the old one, or what Jail has planned for her, so we don't know where she's going. From the data recovered in the black boxes at the sector 002 facility, Nanoha was brought in from the village of Hellena. I doubt she'll return there, but just in case, Wendi you take a few squadrons of Enforcers and check it out."

"Got it," the smaller red-head said, nodding.

"What about me?" Nove asked, studying the map.

"Same thing, but you head east, in case they head in the opposite direction," Teana explained. "Search the villages of Lycra and Nosis. It's unlikely she'll head south back to Clanagan, so I'll go north. There's a few mountain villages along the northern border, near the occupied church lands. We have more forces there to keep an eye on the followers, so there's no way she can hide in there."

"And when we find her?" Nove inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Contact me right away," Teana said, shutting off the map, giving the two the glare. "I mean it. This is Nanoha at her prime we're talking about, provided Jail's cloning of her was 100%, and I have no reason to doubt that it wasn't. With all three of us on her, she won't stand a chance."

"Are you... heading out again?" came a flat question, causing the three girls to look up.

"Dieci!" Teana exclaimed, walking forward to hug the taller girl. "Yes, I'm sorry. With any luck, this won't take more than a few days."

"Understood," Dieci replied, nearly expressionless as she pulled back, looking down with her good right eye.

Teana ran her fingers through her sister's hair as she gazed back tenderly into the cyborg's emotionless face. The gun enforcer could still remember that day when Dieci had nearly been torn apart; it was the same day they lost Cinque. Now, the entire left side of her body including her brain, had been replaced totally by cybernetics. Dieci wasn't all "there" anymore, although there was still some light of life in her eyes. However, because she would never be able to fight anymore, the remaining Nakajima sisters had vowed to protect her.

"I will await your return," Dieci said simply, neither frowning nor smiling, and limped back into the living room.

Teana spared one last look, then turned around to open the door. "Let's go."

x~~*~~x

"Did you find what you needed?" Nanoha asked, entering the room she shared with her cyborg companion.

Uno didn't look up from her work, as she poked at the innards of the amulet with two thin prongs. "Some. I think I will still need a reverse photonic stabilizer and some memory fluid to fully recover the lost data."

Nanoha sat down on her bed, watching. Supposedly contained within Jail's message in the amulet were coordinates to a specific location where someone awaited her. Who it was, or even what would be accomplished by going, they didn't know, but Nanoha had to admit she was curious. Somehow, Jail thought she could save this world, and whoever was waiting for her, would have the information as to how. Perhaps it was the resistance leader, and they needed her for a symbol; someone who could stand up to Hayate and Fate, or perhaps it would be some way for her to talk to both of them and convince them to change what was going on.

Whatever it was, Nanoha planned to be ready for it.

"I saw your poster," Uno stated, still working on the device. "I do not recommend you go."

"Why's that?" Nanoha asked, a bit put off, but more curious than anything.

Uno didn't miss a beat. "They are standard Enforcer tactics. Let the groups form and monitor them; if they grow, arrest them all. At the least, it provides a useful mechanism for monitoring discontent. We cannot risk you being tagged and followed; the risk of discovery is too high."

"If I'm supposed to save this world and restore the Bureau to what it was, I think I'm going to need the help of everyone," Nanoha countered. "If there is a resistance movement, I'm going to need to get in contact with it. Showing up at this meeting would help."

"It is your choice, and I am just here to serve you, but I would ask that we first discover what the doctor's plan was," Uno beseeched her, setting the prongs down and looking up. "If that is what he had in mind, then we can make plans to contact the resistance and rally the people."

Nanoha nodded. "Fair enough." She still glanced at the folded poster sitting on her bed and sighed.

Uno tapped the side of the amulet and Jail's image appeared.

"Greetings Nanoha Takamachi," the image said, the static from before mostly gone. "I bet you are wondering what's going on. Uno can tell you some of our history, but I have grown dissatisfied with Hayate's rule; she keeps me on a short leash, haha! I always wanted control, but not with the way things are. Several months ago, I received an unknown visitor. He offered a plan to change things. I received from him your genetic material to grow a clone. Head to mountains... someone waits for you... not sure whether...brzzstfzzle..."

The message died out as Nanoha blinked, contemplating who that unknown visitor was. "Well, that was most of it! Did you get the coordinates?"

Uno shook her head. "I will need more parts, so we will be here awhile longer. But this is all I can do for now, so I suggest we get some rest. It will take us several more days to earn the money necessary for the final few parts on the black market."

However, they were about to find out their stay in Organtz would be much shorter than they believed.

x~~*~~x

"Mom, wake up!" came 12-year-old Givo's cry early the next morning as he ran up the stairs, which also woke Nanoha and Uno up.

"What is it?" Neyra groused at her son's urgent calling from the room next door.

"There's a whole lotta soldiers in town lookin' for something!" his excited voice answered, drifting in through the walls. "I think some of them are coming this way!"

Nanoha and Uno looked at each other, then quickly got out of their respective beds and got dressed, making out into the hall just in time to catch a worried Neyra.

"Neyra, you've been very good to us, but we have to go," Nanoha told the other woman, then bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we don't want to get you in trouble."

There was a moment of silence, before the other woman replied. "You're mages, aren't you?"

Nanoha looked up, sparing a glance at Uno. "I... suppose you could say that."

Mrs. Mellowan promptly surprised them both by quickly grabbing their hands. "Come with me. Givo, you too. You know the drill."

Confused, Nanoha allowed herself to be pulled along as they headed downstairs where Givo was rolling back the carpet and lifting a section of the wooden floor, revealing what looked like a small cement cellar. Before Nanoha could ask what it was, though, a farmiliar female voice that she couldn't place, echoed from a loudspeaker somewhere outside.

"People of Organtz, this city is under martial law by order of the Time Space Administration Bureau," she announced in a voice that Nanoha was still trying to place. "Cooperate, and it won't last long. Obstruct us, and there will be unpleasant consequences. That is all."

Nanoha glanced at Uno, noting that the cyborg was thinking the same thing: [They are looking for us.] Did Mrs. Mellowan know, though? How could she?

The answers were provided shortly after Neyra hustled them down into the cellar, staying up top to close the trapdoor and put the carpet back into place. The cellar was rather small, probably only room for maybe 5 or 6 people at most, but she couldn't stand up to her full height and so all three sat down in the darkness, unable to see each other.

"Daddy built this hideaway," Givo told them solmenly. "It's an anti-magic mineral that will block our linker cores from detection. They got daddy, though, several years ago by surprise." His voice turned a bit sadder in the last statement.

"You're a mage..." Nanoha whispered, Neyra's actions coming more into focus; the woman didn't know that the Bureau was looking for him, assuming it to be another mage hunt that she was used to by now.

There was no response, but there didn't need to be one. The three settled down to wait, hoping the enforcers would eventually leave when they didn't find what they were looking for; after all, there was no way the Bureau could be sure they were here. Still, Nanoha found herself a bit unsure about that last thought.

x~~*~~x

"Well?" Wendi asked, turning off the broadcast. "Have you found them?"

The enforcer captain kept his head down as he continued to kneel. "Sir, we've only been able to search about 25% of the city so far. There is, as yet, no sign of them. They might not even still be here, and there aren't enough of us to cover the entire city. If we had more troops..."

"Oh, I have it on good authority that they are still here, isn't that right, my pet?" Wendi replied, half-turning in her fine, oak chair to man off to the side on his knees, an enforcer covering him with his staff.

"Y-yes, I guarantee they are still here," Ken echoed fearfully, nervous sweat running down his face. "I saw them here yesterday in the market; they were looking for something. We have our promise, though, right? If I am correct and you get them, my family is safe and I can go back to them and not join the army, right?"

Wendi stood up lazily, walking slowly over to the anxious man and leaning down, placing a finger under his chin and smiling delightfully. "_If_ you are right, then yes, we have our agreement. But if you are wrong..." She let his chin go and turned around, shrugging. "Well, then, I can't guarantee the safety of anyone."

It had been a bit of luck that she had even run across this man. Last night in Hellena, she managed to get information out of the people that a boat had set sail a couple of days ago, and upon interrogating the dockmasters in Organtz during the night, they learned that the boat was still here and had never left. At a dockside bar, they had found this man, identifying him as one of the escaped prisoners, and he immediately offered up everything he knew in exchange for his life and the lives of his family.

"You heard him, Captain, so I _suggest_ you get back out there," Wendi let the subtle threat hang a bit. "The barrier we have in place around the town will alert us if anyone tries to escape."

"Yes, Colonel Nakajima!" he replied nervously, saluting and quickly backing out of the front door of the mayor's house, that the cyborg colonel had commandeered for their short stay.

Wendi folded her fingers together in front of her chin as she sat back down in the mayor's desk chair; that Nanoha clone had to still be here, and when she was found, Wendi would extract great joy and in video-taping her slow torture and execution.

She smiled evilly, looking forward to seeing the look on Fate's face as she watched that.

x~~*~~x

An hour passed, then two, as the two women and the young boy waited in the darkness. It was getting warmer and Nanoha realized the air was slowly getting a bit thinner, but the only access to the room other than the trapdoor was a small pipe a few centimeters in diameter that was connected outside somewhere; probably to bring in fresh air which would have been enough for Givo alone, but the not quite enough to cover for all three of them. Uno was sitting against the wall, haven't already told them that she was lowering her heart rate and metabolism in order to consume less oxygen, but that still left Nanoha and Givo.

However, the enforcers finally arrived at the restaurant as the time spent in the cellar ticked into hour #4, almost breaking down the door to get in. Nanoha went deathly quiet as she strained to hear the voices above the footsteps.

"Search the place!" a male voice ordered. "You there, you own this place, correct?"

"Y-yes," Neyra's nervous voice came. "I run it alone since my husband died."

"Our records show you have a son, where is he?" the male voice interrogated.

"I don't know, probably out playing with his friends," Neyra replied, apprehensive.

"And we have it from several other sources that you recently hired two people," the man continued. "How about them?"

"Only for a couple of days," Neyra answered. "They left last night. I wish they had stayed; it's hard to find good help."

"That's rather convenient," he insinuated, his voice dropping a bit lower. "You better not be lying to us, or it will go badly, for both you and your son. If you're hiding something, we'll find it." His voice went back up again. "Continue scanning."

She wanted to burst out of hiding and take care of these goons, but Nanoha knew there was nothing she could do, except sit and wait.

And hope.

x~~*~~x

"Roughly 80% of the city has been searched, and still no sign of them," the captain reported upon returning and dropping to one knee. "But there is only 30 of us, so-"

"I don't want excuses!" Wendi growled at him, smashing her fist into the mayor's oak desk, splintering the surface, then immediately took a breath and calmed down. "I think we're going about this the wrongway; we have to consider who our target is."

"Sir?" the captain questioned, raising his head but remaining in his lowered position.

"Nanoha was always a do-gooder," Wendi reasoned, working through her thoughts out loud. "Those types don't want people harmed. Captain, round up a few dozen of the townsfolk, men, women, children, elderly, any of them. If she refuses to show herself, we start killing them." She paused, then glanced down at her captain. "Well, what are you waiting for? DO IT!"

"Yes, sir!" the captain replied, sending new orders through his communicator.

x~~*~~x

"Sir?" another male voice questioned.

"We have new orders, take her," the previous voice ordered.

"Get your hands off me!" Neyra cried to the sound of a scuffle above.

"Mom-!" Givo started to say, but was quickly silenced by a rapidly-moving Uno, who grabbed him and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Nanoha understood his pain and found his hand in the darkness, leaning over to whisper, "We'll get her back, I promise."

But as Neyra was taken out, the female voice on the loudspeakers sounded again, which threw a wrench in that plan. "Nanoha, I know you're here. You have 30 minutes to give yourself up, or people start dying. And once everyone is dead, I'll wipe this town off the map entirely."

Nanoha felt her blood grow cold, the silence above now deafening in contrast to the earlier commotion. Taking a breath, she stood and pushed the trap door up, bathing the trio in light. The restaurant was empty and silent, except for Givo who was still straining against Uno's grasp.

"Let me go!" he demanded once she uncovered his mouth. "I have to save her!"

Uno ignored him, focusing on her travel companion. "What are you going to do?"

Nanoha's fists clenched and unclenched, then she turned and kneeled before Givo, freeing him from Uno's grasp and placing her own hands lightly on his shoulders. "I give you my word, I won't let any harm come to your mother."

Givo calmed down and stared at her. "Ms. Seikou..."

"You cannot seriously be considering turning yourself in," Uno beseeched her, emotion creeping into her voice. "If you give yourself up, you will die, with no guarantee you can save them. People are going to die either way; remember the boy, and remember Randy. You have to think about the greater good!"

The cloned girl stood up slowly. "I may not be the real Nanoha, but I believe in the same things she did. I won't have people die for me, not when I can help it. I know you feel differently; I understand your logic, but it's not worth saving the world if I have to sacrifice everyone else to do it! There has to be a way, and I'll find it."

As Uno stared in disbelief, Nanoha turned and started for the door.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Cliffhangers are fun, eh?

Funny thing is, the next chapter is pretty much done, except I need to finish off the last scene and then let it sit for a day, so I can go back through and catch errors and polish it up. And hope that my muse continues to inspire, because I"m over halfway done with chapter 7, too. At this rate, you might just see a new chapter every 2-3 days... well, depending on how badly you want to see them, heh.

Last amusing note is that quite a few people have compared this to BetrayerS, and I have to admit I didn't think of that when I started writing. I just wanted to use the standard "hero wakes up in the future" plot, as a way to get some conflict between the cast. They get along too well, and I've been finding it a fun challenge to see how I can put them at odds, hehe.

Seeya next time for chapter 6: One Woman's Worth.^^


	6. One Woman's Worth

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 6: One Woman's Worth**

Xx~~*~~xX

Uno stared at the back of the girl as she headed for the door, wondering for the thousandth time why the doctor put her in this position. [Of all the illogical, stupid...] "So you plan to just give yourself up and hope everything works out?

Nanoha paused in the doorway, glancing back halfway. "Actually, I've been thinking about that. Uno, I'll need your help. Givo, you, too."

The young boy pumped his fist, a grin quickly appearing on his face. "Right!"

Uno's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

Nanoha's lips slowly curved upward into a small smile as her clothes began to glow a soft pink. "We're going to save everyone."

x~~*~~x

"28 minutes, mark!" the captain dutifully announced, studying his commander for her reaction.

"Well, I suppose it was too hopeful to think Jail cloned her perfectly," Wendi stated nonchalantly, looking across the town square at the three dozen people they had on their knees, hands behind their heads, while half her Enforcers surrounded them. "Start killing them, and let's see what happens."

The Enforcers lifted their staves and pointed, magical energy gathering at the tips.

"I thought you said I had 30 minutes," a female voice called, echoing on the wind between the buildings, causing all assembled to stop and scan the area.

Wendi found her atop one of the taller buildings, and stared at the white and blue dress outfit flapping in the wind, complete with red ribbon. She shook her head. "So you did show up; I was beginning to wonder. Come down here and surrender, or they start dying."

"Wendi, is that you?" Nanoha asked, surprise in her voice.

"So you do have her memories," the cyborg noted with interest. "That will make my reward all the sweeter. And yes, it is me, but you can confirm that when you get down here and turn yourself in."

Nanoha shook her head. "If you want me, you'll have to release them first."

The cyborg smiled. maliciously, amused. "You don't seem to understand that I have the advantage here."

"I know that you won't get me if even one person is harmed," Nanoha countered firmly.

"Let's test that, shall we?" Wendi dared as she called Nanoha's bluff, raising her arm, preparing to drop it as a signal to fire. "Enforcers, resume charge-up."

"Bad Wendi," Nanoha admonished, releasing the first of her prepared spells.

In the next instant over a dozen pink orbs rained down, each one homing in on one of the Enforcers who were preparing to fire, except for one which headed straight towards the cyborg commander. While some of the Enforcers were caught by surprise and struck, the rest managed to get shields up or dive out of the way at the last second, the pavement exploding around the hostages and tossing up dirt and debris.

Wendi herself was forced to dive out the way as the shot homed in on her, just barely avoiding it as she rolled back to her feet and spit out dirt. She seethed as her gaze turned back towards the rooftop, but the location Nanoha had previously occupied was empty.

"I'm your enemy and your focus," Nanoha intoned solemnly, now standing in front of the dust cloud near the hostages, a pink barrier covering them, a war staff in her hand. "Turn your back to me at your peril, for it will be the last thing you see with mortal eyes."

Several Enforcers took half-steps back, hesitating at the mage would had just rained impressive hellfire down on them seemingly without effort and was now directly in their midst, completely unafraid, practically daring them to try something. And they might very well have run, had not their commander goaded them into action.

"GET HER!" Wendi shouted angrily lifting her right arm where a watch-like object began to flash on her wrist. "Wave Rider!"

"Set up!" the device's male voice chirped, forming her familiar surfboard under her feet in addition to a pair of smaller versions of the board on her forearms while coating the rest of her body in a familiar blue, form-fitting outfit.

Her enforcers began firing first, but Nanoha shot straight up with amazing speed, outpacing the beams and magical shots that sought her out. Wendi took to the sky with an "IS: Aerial Rave!" shout, joining her Enforcers and sentinel drones as the swarm of angry insects sought out their prey.

The chase was on.

x~~*~~x

Uno sprinted in while the dust was still clouding most of the square from Nanoha's initial attack, grabbing the closest enforcer and snapping his neck as he recovered from being hit. She immediately searched for another, but the rest were already flying away, firing on a rapidly dodging Nanoha as she twisted through the sky above the city.

Then the cyborg couldn't afford to devote anymore attention towards following the battle due to initiating her own job to do while emerging from the dissipating dust cloud as the Protection barrier faded. "Everyone, come with me, quickly!" The hostages, who hadn't moved at all, stared at her. "Come, move now while you have a chance!"

"Mom!" Givo shouted, running in after Uno and zeroing in on his mother among the group like a homing missile.

Neyra hugged her son who had latched himself onto her. "Givo? What are you doing? You should have stayed hidden!"

"It's my turn to look after you!" Givo declared, his face firm as he pulled back and grabbed her hand. "Come on, we have to get to safety!"

"You have our word, we will not let your son come to harm, Mrs. Mellowan," Uno added, helping people up and directing them to a nearby alley. "But we don't have much time, we need to hurry."

"Y-yes," Neyra answered, still appearing a bit bewildered as she was led away with the rest of the now former hostages.

A nearby explosion showered them with debris, but Uno kept them moving, glancing up at the sky and hoping Nanoha knew what she was doing. But more than that, she found herself honestly hoping the woman would be okay.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha twisted rapidly through the sky as dozens of various beams and shots sought her out, coming both from Enforcers and about a dozen or so sentinel drones. Agility was her best defense as she gained altitude, but that wouldn't protect her forever thus she'd need to reduce their number fairly quickly.

Randy's staff wasn't as good as Raging Heart, but it did make it a bit easier to process mana, and thus was able to fire off a dozen Axel shooter orbs straight forward which promptly angled backwards in a wide spread as they sought out her pursuers. The sentinel drones were the first targets, but due to their stronger AMF, it took several magic missiles to work through their defense and smash them to pieces.

She grimaced as a beam grazed her backside, which confirmed more readily that not only were these Enforcers higher ranks than the ones she knew in her time, but that they were also using lethal magic; they apparently didn't want her captured, just dead.

[That makes this a bit harder,] Nanoha realized, as she arced backwards in mid-air and executed a Flash Move to temporarily throw off their aiming. The other constraint was the barrier covering the town which limited her flight ceiling and her options; any careless shots would hit the people below.

She dove straight for her attackers, executing another Flash Move to put her in their midst, firing off second wave of orbs in all directions before diving again. With any lucky, Uno and Givo would have gotten the townspeople to take cover, which would allow her to really cut loose; she'd need to, if she was going to break that barrier so they could escape.

She skimmed along ground level, weaving through the buildings and streets as she ducked back across the village square, hoping it was empty at least. Twisting in mid-air, Nanoha tossed up another Round Shield with her left hand which also held the staff, blocking shots from her pursuers while simultaneously flying backwards. Upon passing between two large buildings, she thrust out her right hand, releasing her prepared spell.

Dozens of pink bind appendages shot out from either side the moment the pursuing group of Enforcers passed between those same buildings, ensnaring most of them in in a virtual spider web of magic which temporarily halted their pursuit and gave her some breathing space; but that moment of peace didn't last long.

As Nanoha faced forward again and gained altitude, Wendi came flying in from above while firing her forearm mounted cannons, the remaining drones firing along beside her. Nanoha spiraled her body out of the way, grimacing as several shots grazed her, tearing holes in the arms and skirt of her barrier jacket and leaving burns on her arms and legs. Still, she headed straight up at a 45 degree angle for her attackers in a daring game of chicken, holding her staff close to her body and firing a wide-radius Divine Buster as the range counted down, engulfing Wendi and the drones.

Nanoha pulled out of the climb, eyes widening as Wendi emerged from the attack almost unscathed, her body and boards lightly singed, an evil grin on her face.

"I'm not the Wendi you probably remember," the cyborg sneered, firing again and forcing Nanoha on the defensive as the rest of the Enforcers rejoined the fray. "My board and arm shields each have a powerful AMF generator that I control at will; no mage can touch me. I am far superior to you humans."

The fact that the sentinel drones were all down now at least brought Nanoha some solace; her Buster having taken out the last of them out even if it had failed to stop Wendi herself. But as the remaining Enforcers began to swarm around her like angry bees, Nanoha knew she couldn't keep this up; she needed to take Wendi down to have a chance.

Nanoha held her staff out horizontally, locking gazes with the cyborg commander as they flew, exchanging and dodging shots. "You haven't truly seen what a mage can do yet. Allow me to show you."

x~~*~~x

"TAKE HER DOWN!" Wendi commanded her troops as they rose to the attack, having freed themselves from the earlier bind and were now firing again. "Surround her and box her against the barrier; limit her mobility!"

They were making progress, but this Nanoha was truly a demon in the sky, quick and agile. They had managed to tag her a few times, but her barriers were strong and she was steadily chipping away at their number. All of Wendi's sentinel drones were gone and she was already down to less than two dozen Enforcers; she wished she had more drones with her, but that damn virus had screwed up the planetary network so the dozen she had was all that she could locally control.

But these thoughts only occupied a fraction of Wendi's mind due to her red-tinged vision was focused on the target; she wanted this clone destroyed by any means possible. [I'll make you proud of me, Tea, and show you that I'm a match for any mage! So you don't have to put yourself at risk to protect me.]

And her new strategy was bearing fruit; Nanoha was taking more hits now as she rapidly ran out of sky and places to run. That blurring spell of hers, which enabled rapid movement in an instant, was happening less and less frequently leading Wendi to believe she was running out of mana. Any moment now...

"Concentrate fire!" she cried, pouring it on as Nanoha was backed up the barrier, putting up a Round Shield to stave off the multiple incoming shots; but it was cracking.

And then it exploded, but they kept firing into the smoking cloud until Wendi was sure no one could survive that barrage. Her glee rose, expecting to see the body fall out of the cloud, or maybe they had completely annihilated her in that attack...

"I told you that you haven't truly seen what a mage can do yet," came a solemn, lyrical voice.

Wendi craned her neck around to the left just in time to see Nanoha fire a Divine Buster at near point-blank range. She barely got her left shield up in time, but the force of the focused blast overrode the AMF and sent her spiraling out of control towards the ground while her left arm cannon disintegrated; still, she managed to fire off a shot with her right one as soon as the beam was cut off.

She was at least satisfied to see Nanoha take the near full return attack on her shoulder, forcing the clone to flee as the Enforcers turned their attention on her, while a pair of them caught their commander and allowed her to regain control of her flight.

But Wendi wasn't entirely satisfied with that exchange as she reached for her communicator; this was taking far too long and she needed more firepower. "Bring in the ship."

x~~*~~x

"What in the world is she doing?" Neyra wondered as she watched the show in the air along with everyone else. "She's crazy!"

"No, she's fighting to save us all!" Jerhyn told her, then turned to address the gathered crowd. "She's not afraid to stand up to protect people. While we cower day-to-day and content ourselves to eek out a living, hoping not to draw the attention of the Bureau, we lost sight that the leaders are supposed to serve the people; not the other way around! Are you really satisfied to live in fear, ignoring what's going around you because it's always someone else's problem? Well?"

"It's her fault the Bureau even came here!" a male voice in the crowd yell. "If she had just given herself up, or left us alone, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

A murmur of "That's right!" and "Yeah!" spread throughout the crowd as they huddled together while the ground shook again, due to explosions nearby. Jerhyn sighed in frustration, and pounded his fist against a nearby wall, but looked up in surprise when someone he didn't expect agreed with him.

"Well I'm not satisfied!" Givo declared, standing up, glaring at the assembled townspeople. "I'm not afraid, either! They threatened my mom, so they're going to pay!"

"Givo?" Neyra questioned, staring in shock as he ran off. "Givo! No, stop!"

He disappeared down a far corner as she took off after him, but bumped into Uno who appeared out of a side alley closer to the group, leading several other individuals to the rest of the group.

"Mrs. Mellowan?" Uno questioned, lowering her hand from her head.

"My son!" the frantic woman replied, gesturing down the road. "He ran off, and I think he's going to do something rash!"

Uno pointed the trio towards the crowd hiding under the eaves of a building, then glanced back and forth between the worried woman and the road, finally sighing in frustration.

"Come on, we'll both search for him," the cyborg told her, wondering what had gotten into her as the pair headed off down the road.

x~~*~~x

She received the word she was hoping for. "[Nanoha? It is Uno. I am taking the last of the people to the agreed upon location.]"

But it distracted her just enough, forcing her twist in mid-air and put up another shield to block several of those green magic beams which converged on her. Wendi added to it with repeated blasts from both her remaining right arm cannon as well as larger ones from her surfboard itself. Under the combined assault, Nanoha's shield shattered and exploded, sending her careening through several buildings before coming to a stop in one.

Dazed, she slowly pushed the rubble off her body and got to her knees, feeling cool blood against her right arm, her barrier jacket torn in a dozen different places. Her autobarrier had just barely protected her, distributing the force of the impacts to a wide-enough radius that her insides weren't liquidfied. She coughed against the dust surrounding her location, feeling the strong temptation rest for awhile and regain her strength, but she knew she couldn't; she had to keep fighting. She had to keep the pressure up or everything would be lost.

"Get in there and recover the body," she heard Wendi order from outside, seeing several vague shapes descending through the haze of dust and the large fissure in the building she created with her dynamic entry.

Using the staff for support, Nanoha forced herself to her feet, and then aimed it and grit her teeth. "Divine... Buster!"

The pink beam caught the half-dozen Enforcers off guard as it emerged from the hole in the building, blasting them out of the sky and sending them down below, as Nanoha floated upwards out of the debris cloud, meeting Wendi's shocked gaze with her grim one.

"You'll have to do better than that," Nanoha intoned, the Enforcers hesitating and floating backwards at the sight of her blood-stained barrier jacket and her haunting eyes.

"Why are you still attempting to fight?" the cyborg demanded to know. "You and I both know you can't take much more; you're going to lose. You're only postponing the inevitable."

As if to punctuate her statement, a medium-sized ship about 15-meters long pushed past the barrier and entered the airspace above the town, hovering directly above Wendi; to Nanoha, it looked like one of those transport shuttles she sometimes traveled on, and was probably what Wendi used to haul her unit around.

Except it was armed, and all of it's weapons were being trained on Nanoha..

Her gaze drifted down to the staff in her hands, her mind still seeing Randy's blood spots on it, and her grip tightened. "I can't quit, there are people counting on me, and I don't plan to let them down." Nanoha's face rose to meet Wendi's, resolute. "So how about we finish this?"

Wendi shrugged. "It's your funeral. Enf-"

Her command was cut off as something struck her left arm and exploded, singeing her armor but annoying her more than anything else.

"How do you like that!" Givo shouted, standing atop a cart and preparing another glowing white ball between his hands. "That's for threatening my mother! And this one is for me!"

"Little brat!" Wendi snarled, firing on him.

"NO!" Nanoha shouted, diving at full speed.

"Givo!" Neyra cried nearly at the same time as she emerged from a nearby alley, running towards him, but Nanoha realized neither of them would reach him in time; all they could do was watch in slow-motion horror as Wendi's dark pink blast of energy made it's way towards the boy.

The building behind Givo suddenly exploded outward as Uno emerged from the wall and grabbed the boy, turning to shield him as the blast stuck and sent the pair tumbling along the cobblestone street, Uno's midsection smoking.

"Uno!" Wendi exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "I figured you were traveling with Nanoha, but to do something like that?"

Nanoha was equally shocked at what her travel companion had done, but felt relief as Uno rose to her feet, holding her left side with one hand while Neyra and her pulled Givo away; then she turned her attention back to her foe, letting her cool anger take over. "Wendi, I think it's about time I ended this fight."

x~~*~~x

The cyborg commander turned down just in time to see Nanoha fire a dozen magic missiles in her direction, which forced her and the 14 remaining Enforcers to scatter. But instead of pursuing them, the shots detonated forming a large smoke cloud that Nanoha flew straight up into. The ship began firing on her, but the smoke cloud gave her some cover as she continued climbing nearly straight up for it, emerging from the other side and firing another wave of orbs at it.

"She's suicidal!" Wendi noted in surprise as she and her Enforcers rallied and gave chase. "Well, if she wants to trap herself between us and the ship..."

Wendi trailed off to the tune of Nanoha's second wave detonating against the ship's shields, creating another form of cover, which was then followed by Nanoha firing another Buster. The pink beam exploded against the underside as the mage continued to pour magic into the attack, breaking through the shields and blasting a vertical hole through the entire ship.

"LOOK OUT!" Wendi cried as the transport vessel tilted to the side, starting to lose altitude and head straight for them.

Nanoha apparently headed up into the ship through the entrance she just created as Wendi and her Enforcers scattered once more. They waited for her to emerge from the other side, but she never did as the ship continued it's slow fall; the cyborg commander's brow furrowed in confusion. Where was Nanoha?

"Over there!" one of her Enforcers called, drawing her attention.

Wendi's eyes widened, the first thought popping into her mind being, [Where the hell did she get all that magic?] Nanoha was standing on one of the higher rooftops, a large, pink ball nearly obscuring the woman behind it. Her second thought was remembering that Teana did something similar for one of her attacks, which led to Wendi's third thought.

[Oh crap.]

But before she could give the word to scatter, she found her limbs bound while Nanoha called out, "I warned you that I was going to finish this, Wendi."

The cyborg hissed angrily as she struggled to break free. "Help me, you fools!"

The Enforcers gathered around her, most putting up shields while the others tried to break the binds. But they were a second too late.

"STARLIIIIIIGHT... BREAKEEEEEER!"

x~~*~~x

Nanoha wasn't really sure this was going to work as Randy's staff wasn't Raging Heart, and indeed, it was rougher than expected trying to control all this magic. Yet she somehow managed to keep the magic firing on target, blowing straight through the remaining Enforcers and their shields, and engulfing the bound Wendi. As the staff began to crack and chip, the beam continued on, plowing through several buildings and smashing into the barrier surrounding the town and shattering it.

The cracks continued to grow along the weapon's shaft, even splitting the green orb at the head nestled between the two half-blades as the damage threatened to consume the weapon entirely, but somehow it held together as the power dwindled and the attack died off. In the quiet of the aftermath, Wendi and her Enforcers dropped like flies into the 3-meter trench Nanoha's attack had carved through the town.

Panting, the cloned mage leaned on the staff for support, taking a moment to regain some strength in light of her current dizzying weakness, surprised but relieved she had actually managed to pull that off. But time to dwell on that was a luxury she knew she couldn't afford, and so she floated to the ground, landing in the trench a few meters away from Wendi, pointing her staff at the form that had just regained consciousness and was struggling to rise, but it was readily apparent her internal cybernetics were damaged and her left arm was bent at an odd angle.

Wendi hissed angrily as her limbs trembled, not responding very well to her mental commands, then stopped as she was bound, staring at Nanoha standing several meters away. "Well, what are you waiting for! Aren't you going to finish it?"

"I don't need to," Nanoha told her, then gazed upwards to indicate the crowd gathering at the edge of the trench, looking down in shock and surprise at the defeated cyborg commander. "She's beaten, just like the rest of the Bureau can be. You don't need to be afraid anymore!"

The crowd still appeared shell-shocked and hesitant, so it was only Jerhyn who spoke up as he turned to them. "You hear that? They CAN be beaten! I told you!"

There were murmurs, but the congregated townsfolk still appeared very much undecided. Nanoha noticed Uno up there with them, her weight supported by Neyra, but the cyborg gave her a small smile and nodded indicating that she would live despite the bloody wound on her side.

A pair of injured Enforcers landed in the trench beside their commander, pointing their staves at Nanoha, but she merely raised an eyebrow as if to say "Really? Are you sure about that?" and they took a step back, hesitant and nervous as their staves lowered again.

"Well, help me up you morons!" Wendi shouted at them, to which they promptly obeyed. "And take me back to the ship!"

"Inform Hayate that things have to improve on Mid-Childa," Nanoha told them as they took flight. "Or I'll repeat this everywhere on Mid-Childa, until there's nothing left to fight with."

"You're letting them go?" Jerhyn questioned in disbelief as the Enforcers slowly recovered and helped their brethren to the outskirts of town, where the transport had managed to land without crashing. "Finish them! That's what they would have done to you, if they won. They'll just report what went on here, and then resume the oppression!"

"It's time for a better way," Nanoha told him solemnly. "If you want to defeat your enemy, you can't become them."

Wendi ordered the two Enforcers carrying her to stop. "I thought I'd never meet anyone so stupid. You may intend to keep your word to let us go. But just in case you don't..."

Wendi managed to break her right arm free of the binds and fired several bolts from her still-functioning right arm cannon, and Nanoha watched in horrible slow motion as they impacted the sides of the trench right beneath the edge the crowd was standing on. Screams erupted from the crowd as people fell, the cracks that were initially formed by Wendi's blasts spread and a four story building behind them began to tip over into the trench as well.

"RUN!" Nanoha cried as she lifted her right hand and concentrated, focusing what little magic she had left to slow the structure's fall.

But it wasn't enough, and instead Nanoha raised the staff again and fired a wide-radius Divine Buster that she walked down the length of the building, cleaving it in half as the green jewel on the staff sputtered and died. The rest of it finished its collapse, throwing up dust and debris to the sound of anguished cries and the retreat of the transport's engines as it flew away.

And then it was over, and the staff slipped from Nanoha's fingers as she dashed up to begin freeing people from the rubble, blasting away some bits of rock as she grabbed a hand and pulled the person free. "I've got you."

The woman was initially grateful, then noticed who freed her and the carnage around them, and slapped Nanoha's hand away. "Thanks, but you've done enough."

Stunned and speechless, Nanoha watched her work to free the others trapped, then shook her head and resumed helping as well, but getting similar reactions from almost everyone else.

"Look at what you did!" a man accused, gesturing to the devastation and death around.

"Why did you have to resist?" a woman asked, tears in her eyes as she held her broken arm.

Nanoha took a step back. "I was just trying to help-"

"Help!" another man questioned, incredulous. "If you wanted to help, you never would have come here!"

"Momma!" Givo called out tearfully, drawing everyone's attention to the little boy digging through the rubble.

A sickening dread rose in Nanoha's chest as she quickly leapt over next to him and began to help remove pieces of debris from around the arm that was already exposed, worried that it wasn't moving. "Neyra?"

Once most of the woman was uncovered, Nanoha leaned down and pressed two fingers to Neyra's neck, leaning her head down and placing her cheek near the other's mouth and lips. Slowly, she straightened back up and turned to face Givo, shaking her head sadly, then spoke the toughest two words she had ever been forced to.

"I'm sorry..."

"No!" Givo cried, practically falling down on his mother, partly-shaking her and partly hugging her. "MOMMA! Please momma, wake up!"

"See what you've done?" a woman in the crowd accused. "How does this make things any better?"

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Nanoha protested, her limbs trembling.

"Get out of here, destroyer!" a man chimed in. "We've had enough of your help!"

The crowd surged forward, to chants of "Get out of here!" and "Destroyer!"

At a loss as to what to do or say, she felt a hand grab her arm and she turned quickly to see Uno there, who whispered, "We should go, come on."

Numb, Nanoha allowed herself to be pulled, barely registered the pack Uno was now carrying or the fact that she scooped up the cracked staff on the way as she led them out of the town. In her mind's eye going through her mind was Neyra's dead body and Givo's sad cries, the latter of which echoed for almost a minute until they were out of earshot.

But Nanoha continued to hear it long afterwards.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Chekov's crazy cyborg; very deliberate reason I used Wendi. :P And I had to have a good combat chapter, as I tend to get cranky if I don't have one every now and again. Also, it's very relevant to the plot...

I initially had Wendi's device as "Storm Chaser" but later changed it to "Wave Rider." I thought it was a bit more descriptive, and F91 pointed out that not only was Storm Chaser quite similar to Storm Raider, but that Wave Rider is actually a Gundam reference. And given this series "mecha as girls" route, it seemed more fitting.^^


	7. Be All My Sins Remember'd

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 7: Be All My Sins Remember'd**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nanoha asked out of the blue, beginning to wonder if the cloth wrapped around Uno's midsection was turning a bit more red, or if it was just her imagination. Neyra had apparently bandaged her after the cyborg had saved Givo.

They had been walking for almost two hours now, most of it in silence ever since they left Organtz. Nanoha had spent the majority of the time in contemplation and introspection as she reflected on what had happened; the words of the townsfolk and Givo's tearful cries continued to echo throughout her mind. Neyra Mellowan, the kind middle-aged woman who took them in, was dead, along with several others under the rubble of the collapsed structure.

_It wasn't supposed to be this way._

For the second time now, that thought had made its presence known; though in this instance it was supposed to be Wendi's fault, the people didn't see it that way. [No, I am responsible.] she told herself. [If I had just given myself up instead of trying to fight, Neyra would still be alive, and the people would have been able to get back to their normal lives.]

A life that involved fear of the authority that was supposed to protect them, came the unbidden counter-thought from deeper inside her mind.

And ultimately, she realized that's what bothered her just as much. Before, with the prisoners, Livia's father, and Neyra, Nanoha had rationalized that it was only a few people who were afraid to fight back. That not everyone could be like that and when shown the chance that they could have a better life if they fought, people would rise up. But Organtz proved that assumption dead wrong, in the most literal sense of the phrase; Neyra had paid the price for Nanoha's overconfidence.

And so she hadn't even asked where Uno was taking them next as she had no clue about anything, except to just fall into step behind the cyborg's lead. However, after having her thoughts lead her around in circles, Nanoha finally noticed the improvised cloth bandage and wondered aloud about her travel companion's health.

"I am fine, but we must put distance between us and the town," Uno replied, not looking back. "It will take them awhile to recover, but we must assume Wendi will have called in reinforcements to begin searching the area for us. Do you know any transformation magic? We will need to alter our appearance now that it is known what we look like and that we are hunted. It will help us hide in crowds easier, as long as we aren't scanned too directly and closely."

"Um, not much, but I'll think about it and see what I can do," Nanoha replied, still a bit distracted; her own physical wounds still hurt, but were healing. She couldn't say the same about her internal emotional ones.

Uno nodded. "It does not have to be too much, just enough so that people will fail to recognize who we are."

Now Nanoha was sure of it. "You're not okay; you're bleeding."

Uno briefly glanced down at the reddening section along her left side. "The wound must have re-opened, but we don't have a choice. I have located a safe spot we can hide out and I can rest once we reach it."

Nanoha sighed and moved up, draping Uno's left arm across her shoulders and supporting the cyborg as they walked. "You got that wound by protecting Givo. Thank you for that, by the way. I was surprised you did that."

"It was," she started to say, pausing for a moment before adding, "a calculated risk. It could have been worse."

"Not a very logical move," Nanoha probed. "You could have stayed out of the battle zone, then you wouldn't have put yourself at risk for such a handicap."

Uno was silent, though Nanoha could almost see an emotion cross the cyborg's face out of the corner of her eye. "As I said, a calculated risk. The doctor ordered me to serve you, and it was your wish to protect the people of that town. I was following through on that."

Nanoha considered probing or teasing more as the cyborg did seem to be showing some changes lately; the old Uno wouldn't have done that. But she let the matter drop for now, for the most important reason.

_It was ultimately my fault._

x~~*~~x

"...and one-third of my unit is out of action for at least a week," Teana reported to the holoscreen.

"I see," Hayate replied, fingers interlaced in front of her chin. "Are you sure you can handle this? Or do I have to recall Fate after all?"

Teana hardened, her visage darkening. "No. I will have the task completed within the week. The mistake that happened today will not happen again."

"For your sake, I hope so," Hayate replied casually, the subtle point being made clear before signing off.

"What now?" Nove asked, leaning back in her chair on the empty bridge of their transport ship.

Teana shrugged, as if it was obvious. "We find this Nanoha clone and take her down, hard and fast. At the very least, Wendi's scuffle with her has confirmed how dangerous she is. The real Nanoha probably would have surrendered, so it's probably Jail's programming that made her fight. Still, she took out Wendi, an entire squad of Enforcers, and severely damaged a transport ship in a single fight with just a regular Enforcer war staff for a device."

Nove said nothing, merely looking down as if fully digesting that. Fortunately, any response was forestalled by someone's entry onto the bridge.

"Colonel Wendi reporting as ordered," the cyborg saluted nervously. "I was told you wanted to see me as soon as my repairs were complete."

Teana turned to her, studying her sister. "Are you back to normal?"

"Yes," Wendi confirmed. "Wave Rider was repaired as well and we-"

Teana had taken two steps and backhanded the cyborg across the cheek so hard, that she stumbled back and fell onto her butt. "What the HELL did you think you were doing! I gave you specific instructions NOT to engage alone! I told you how dangerous she was. Your reckless actions could have gotten you killed!"

"Tea!" Nove gasped, while Wendi merely stared up at her sister and commander with a reddening cheek.

In the next moment, Teana dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Wendi's neck, hugging the woman viciously. "What the hell would I have done if you got yourself killed, huh? What about Nove or Dieci; you think we can afford to lose you? Don't do anything so stupid again! We don't want you to end up like... her."

"I-I'm sorry," Wendi choked as tears appeared in her eyes, hugging back, knowing exactly who Teana was referring to. "I'm really sorry. I just wanted to make you proud of me, and bring pride to the unit..."

"We're already proud of you, silly," Tea replied, giving a squeeze.

"All of us," Nove agreed, kneeling down and hugging both of her sisters. "We made a vow that we'd always be there for each other, and that none of us would outlive the others."

"I'm sorry," Wendi repeated, hugging fiercely. "I'm so sorry."

After a moment, Teana let them go and stood up, pulling her two sisters to their feet as well. "Good, then see to your unit. I want as many bodies able to search as possible; it's only been several hours and Nanoha and Uno are on foot, so they couldn't have gotten too far. We'll move out in an hour. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" the two cyborgs saluted, then spinning and marching out of the bridge.

[It's been a long time, Nanoha,] Teana thought to herself, her lips slowly turning upwards. [You can run, but you can't hide.]

x~~*~~x

Nanoha wasn't exactly hiding for the moment, as she was once again gazing at her mirror image in a small lake a short distance aways from another of Uno's caves; Nanoha knew she could be spotted at the moment, but Uno assured her it was safe for a short trip to resupply. Once more, her reflection gazed impassively back at her while the flesh and blood version filled two canteens with water; and like before, the questions of who she was and who she was trying to be were very much at the forefront of her thoughts.

She shook her head and headed back to the cave that Uno was currently resting in. This one had no bear for a resident, for which she was grateful; Uno had collapsed almost as soon as they arrived and Nanoha herself didn't quite feel like killing a bear, even for meat. Fortunately, Uno had stocked up on supplies while in Organtz, so she had some fruit and dried meat strips they could munch on for dinner. Nanoha got the impression that Uno might not have paid for some of it, but at this point, she didn't really care.

And this time she insisted the cyborg eat, too, which she surprisingly did without much protest. Nanoha even went out to gather the driest wood she could find, snapping off branches and twigs from dead trees, in order to make another smokeless fire in the cave; a trick she learned from one of the prisoners awhile ago. It wasn't a large fire, just enough for some warmth as it steadily got colder outside, due to the sun going down.

And now, as Nanoha sat and stared into the flames, she found herself confronted with something she needed to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't listen to you, and as a result, you were injured and people were killed. I failed. I should have listened to you about the greater good."

Uno didn't respond for a moment, then surprised Nanoha with her answer. "Not exactly. What you did was logical for you, a calculated risk, and we managed to get through it. I also managed to retrieve this." Nanoha looked up as Uno pulled a small object out of her right ear. "It is a communicator from one of the Enforcers. I've disabled its location transmitter and broadcasting abilities, so it's just set to passive receiving. I can listen in on their frequencies and thus know where their patrols are at any given moment."

"So that's how we were able to get this far without seeing anyone," Nanoha realized, then shook her head and returned her gaze to the fire. "Still, people died because of me. Because I tried to be the idealistic Nanoha, when I have to be more realistic about where I am and what's at stake. I can't be the Nanoha I was cloned from."

Uno returned the small bud to her ear and studied her travel companion for a moment. "Perhaps. Or perhaps not. There has to be a reason the doctor cloned you and kept your personality and free will intact. In some way, he is counting on you to be Nanoha in order to accomplish his plan."

That thought bothered her a bit, but it was getting off-topic from the main line of reasoning that had consumed so much of her time today. "Maybe, but anyway, I've come to a decision. I can't exactly be who I was cloned from, not entirely. I won't give up on trying to do the right thing, but you are right about one thing: I have to face reality and aim for the greater good. I am Nanoha, but I am not; at least, I can't be. I have to be stronger and more realistic than Nanoha was if I'm going to save my friends and this world."

She was aware of Uno's confused eyes on her, as she reached over and picked up Randy's war staff, feeling every crack and chip along the shaft. Odds are it would break completely if she tried to use it again, at least as a magic weapon. But there was one use she could make of it now.

She leaned her head forward and closed her eyes, taking hold of the staff with her left hand near the double-bladed head, and reaching around to grab her single pony-tail with the other. Taking a breath, she placed the blade against the base of the pony-tail and pushed upwards, slicing through each strand, until it was all the way through and she held a clump of unattached hair in her hand. Opening her eyes, she studied it for awhile; she had always been proud of her hair, recalling some of her fondest memories, such as when she exchanged hair ties with Fate on that bridge so long ago.

And then she reached out and dropped it into the fire, watching the individual strands curled up and burned, still aware of Uno watching her strangely.

"I am not sure I fully understand why you did that," the cyborg stated, her eyebrows bunching closer together in contemplation. "Was it to better disguise yourself? If so, it was rather smart; shorter hair can be done without the risk of being detectable like transformation magic."

Nanoha smile slowly, amused. "Something like that, perhaps. When I can be the real Nanoha again, I'll grow it out."

Uno sat up and patted the space in front of her. "But that will not do, totally. Come, sit."

Curious, Nanoha did as instructed, turning around so that Uno was behind her as she sat down, then understanding as she felt and heard the shears clipping behind her. "I didn't know you carried around scissors."

"They have their uses," Uno replied mysteriously, the short, deliberate clips the only sounds for several minutes. "There, that should do. Now you look like a woman with a short hairstyle, rather than someone who just cut off a lot of hair."

Nanoha reached up and felt behind her, getting a weird sensation as she did as she was not used to having such short hair; it barely reached the nape of her neck now. She shifted back to her spot with the staff still in her lap, while Uno laid down again to rest.

"Thank you," Nanoha said, genuinely warmed by the haircut. "But I think this staff has done it's last duty. The smart thing to do would be to get rid of it, as it most likely won't survive another shot, but I'm not sure I can do it. At least it came in handy and seems surprisingly well-made; not as good as Raging Heart, but good nonetheless. I did more than I thought I could with it."

"When I scanned it earlier, I learned that its self-repair circuits are active, so you should be able to use it again in a few days," Uno told her, which made Nanoha brighten; perhaps she could hang onto it after all. "But it is not entirely because of the staff that you were able to do so much."

Nanoha's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Uno closed her eyes. "When the doctor cloned you, it was with specific instructions to do what he could to increase your magic powers. It is impossible to tell how well he succeeded, but from what I have been able to tell from both the initial data and observing you in action, my guess is that you are somewhere above SSS rank."

Nanoha stared at Uno.

x~~*~~x

He found his contact in the corner of the smoke-filled bar easily enough, by way of the black cloak which covered her entirely and obscured all features, and sat down opposite the person.

"You weren't followed?" a female voice asked from the shadows of the hood. "It would hardly do to have you discovered now."

He shook his head. "Due to the chaos in Organtz, I was able to slip away unnoticed."

"Quite some excitement there, Jerhyn," she noted off-hand, sounding amused. "Or so I heard."

Jerhyn smiled. "You could say that. Anyway, it's about that; I think I've found who you're looking for."

"Oh?" the mysterious woman questioned, pausing and raising her head a bit, the tips of purple hair falling out of the hood that obscured her facial features. "Tell me more..."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha's gaze had dropped to her hands, clenching and unclenching them as if she discern the exact amount of magic power she had access to now. "Why go through the effort of doing something like that?"

"I do not know for certain, just that the doctor was insistent on it," Uno replied. "It be might because research into increasing the strength of a linker core allowed him to hide the real purpose from Hayate. It might also be because your opponents are also stronger, and the doctor knew you would need to be able to match them. I do not know the exact strengths of mages beyond a certain military rank, so the power levels of Hayate, Fate, Teana and others like them are a mystery to me."

Nanoha's head came up. "Teana? She's with them, too? Why?"

"Yes, perhaps I should tell you a bit about her, since Wendi works for Teana and you may end up facing her in combat," Uno reasoned aloud. "I already told you that I don't know how you died, or much beyond. Most of what I do know that happened after that starts with Shamal and Zafira dying in a terrorist bombing of the hospital."

The cloned mage nodded. "Right, that's what you said before; you told me about how Hayate increased the size of the army and pacified Orussia in response, and people viewed her as a hero. No one seemed to oppose her new measures. How was Teana involved?"

"Hayate wasn't completely unopposed," Uno corrected her. "Carim and the Saint Church spoke out against Hayate's new militarism, but they were a minority. The disagreements were peaceful enough at first, but Hayate had risen through the ranks during this time becoming one of the top Generals. She brought peace, and so the people supported her."

"I get the feeling something changed," Nanoha stated via gut instinct. "Something to do with Teana?"

Uno nodded. "In the year 0082, the Huckbein incident happened. A small group of powerful individuals caused havoc and death across multiple worlds before Hayate stopped them, but there were casualties. Among them were various Saint Church nuns, and the woman you once knew as Subaru Nakajima."

x~~*~~x

Teana Lanster Nakajima gazed out her room's window in the transport ship, searching the starry sky, clasping a blue jewel in her right hand.

_"She what!" Teana questioned in disbelief._

_"As soon as she learned that Thoma was taken by the Huckbein, Subaru went after them," Vita was explaining from the holoscreen. "We're trying to track her down, but she's got a fairly large lead on us."_

_"That idiot!" the gun Enforcer exclaimed, taking immediate flight to the teleportation center. "One of them nearly killed Signum!"_

_"Teana!" Fate called, flying after her. "Wait!"_

She was alone with her thoughts at the moment, but not for long, as she heard the door swish open and closed, then footsteps softly coming up on either side of her.

"That's hers, isn't it?" Wendi asked the question that needed no answer.

"Which means you're thinking about her again, and beating yourself up over it," Nove pointed out. "There was nothing you could have done. Nothing any of us could have done."

Teana shook her head. "Maybe."

_They eventually tracked down Subaru's trail, but they were too late. While their new devices gave them the edge they needed against the anti-magic divider swords the Huckbein used, Subaru wasn't so lucky. She had been captured, but under the chaos of Hayate's attack, she managed to break free and assault their leader._

_However, her adopted brother, Thoma, had been mentally manipulated and turned against them, critically injuring Subaru before she brought him back to himself. The young man screamed in horror at what he had done and took out their leader, but at the cost of his own life as well._

_A variant of the Eclipse poison was consuming Subaru, and there was nothing Teana could do about it._

"It's because of me, because I made the same mistake she did," Wendi acknowledged aloud. "Running off and trying to do it on my own."

Teana opened her palm again, the blue crystal reflecting the single light in the ceiling. Mach Calibur had long been repaired, but currently lay dormant and refused to reactivate, and no one knew why; but Teana did. It's heart had been broken, just like hers had.

_"Sorry..." Subaru apologized, coughing as her body spasmed._

_"You big dummy, you have to be alright," Teana ordered her, tears forming in her eyes as she took the bedridden woman's gloved hand; it was a precaution to prevent the poison from spreading to others. Teana couldn't hug Subaru, or even..._

_"I messed up, I know," Subaru admitted sheepishly, pausing to cough again, her body barely holding together as the poison rotted it from the inside out. "And this is my punishment. But before I go-"_

_"Don't say that!" Teana argued, interrupting her. "They'll find a way to save you! The doctors are working on a cure and-"_

_"It's powerful anti-magic," Subaru reminded her. "The doctors are up against something that is outside their normal expertise. Perhaps if Shamal were still with us... so I need to tell you now, that I-"_

_"I know," Teana replied, lifting Subaru's gloved hand to her cheek, shutting her eyes against the pain. "I love you, too."_

"We set the Enforcers up with their search patterns," Nove informed her, reaching up to rub Teana's back lightly, hoping to change the subject. "You two should get some sleep, I'll take the first shift. I'll wake you if anything happens." She shot Wendi a look behind Teana's back, who nodded in response, then headed for the door.

"I suppose," Teana replied absently, then looked down as Wendi had clasped both of her hands over the gun mage's right hand, the one that held Mach Calibur.

They had been together for a long time, so Teana understood exactly what her sister was feeling, that they shared the same pain, but yet they still had each other. And that was all that mattered.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha's gaze dropped into her lap, feeling a chill as she remembered the cheery and eternally energetic Subaru. Somehow, she expected everyone else to still be alive, even 50 years into the future, despite how illogical that was. And she definitely didn't expect to outlive her students, but she supposed in hindsight she really didn't. Nanoha had died, and she was just a clone.

"Since the Huckbein fled to a church in their airship, and were occasionally rumored to appear near other churches and abbeys, accusations were raised that the Saint Church was holding them as a measure to use against the Bureau's mages and they got out of control," Uno continued, pausing to cough. "And on the other side, Hayate was accused of manufacturing the Huckbein threat as a way to show that her new security measures were needed, also using them to slaughter innocent church nuns in revenge. I don't think the truth was ever fully known."

Nanoha's face came back up as the cyborg shivered almost imperceptibly, and she was reminded of Uno's wound. She wanted to know more, but her friend's health was more important.

"That's enough for now, we can talk more tomorrow," Nanoha told her as the fire slowly died, smiling slightly. "We should get some rest so we can travel more easily. That's something you'd say, right?"

"I can keep going for now," Uno tried to counter. "It was the doctor's plan to tell you all about what has happened in the past 50 years, as you will need to know."

"Tomorrow, Uno," Nanoha repeated firmly, grabbing Uno's pack and using it for a pillow as she laid down. "When you're better."

Uno sighed. "As you wish."

Quiet descended as Nanoha sleepily watched the fire slowly shrink in size, her thoughts a jumbled mess with what had happened today. Sleep was actually the farthest thing from her mind, but she needed to stop Uno from talking and rest for now, even though Nanoha doubted she would be able to sleep herself.. Eventually, her eyes closed however, in the midst of wondering what Uno would tell her tomorrow when she was better.

x~~*~~x

But the next morning, Uno wasn't better at all; in fact, she was actually much worse. Nanoha got up immediately upon noting how pale the woman was, and how she barely focused on anything at all, instead just stared upwards. Nanoha felt the woman's forehead and arm, her rather cold and clammy.

"Hold on, I'll make another fire and we'll rest for today," Nanoha told, starting to get back up.

"No," Uno croaked, weakly grabbing Nanoha's hand and pulling her back down. "I am sorry, but I... will not be able to continue traveling with you. You will have to... go on without me."

"What do you mean?" Nanoha asked in worry, squeezing the cyborg's hand. "You're going to be fine, you just need some rest."

"I have been... bleeding internally," Uno admitted. "From the collapse of the building. Neyra pushed me out of the way... but it did not help much. I thought my... internal systems could repair the damage... but it is too much. At best, I was able to extend my time a little."

The cyborg had always been so strong and self-assured that it really disturbed Nanoha to see Uno so weak and frail, but she tried a reassuring smile anyway. "You're going to be okay, Uno. After all, what will I do in this world if I don't have you to guide me?"

Uno didn't respond right away, but reached up to take the communicator out of her ear and place it in Nanoha's hand, while her other hand brought the holograph amulet out of her shirt. "Take these. You can... avoid the patrols if you listen in... Sorry that I was unable to completely fix... the amulet. It is up to you now, to find someone to fix it for you."

Nanoha stared at the two small objects, then wiped her face on her sleeve, not sure what to say. "Uno... don't, please..."

The woman was just an enemy cyborg, that somehow became a guide, a confident... and a friend. And now Nanoha couldn't bear to see her go, not now, and not like this.

"I know I... cannot make you, but..." the cyborg started to say, then coughed. "Please promise me you'll try... to fulfill the doctor's plan."

"I promise," Nanoha told her quickly, not even bothering to wipe the tears now.

Uno's head barely indicated a nod. "Then I am pleased. Thank you... Nanoha. I know you cannot forgive us.. for what we did to you, but you were our only hope. I have done so many things... and they may not have been right... so perhaps it is fitting I die alone."

There was so much she wanted to say, and yet nothing would come out, so Nanoha just leaned down and hugged the woman, burying her wet face in the woman's chest. "Uno, you're not alone..."

The body under her shuddered, and after a moment, Nanoha leaned back up to see what else she could do, but she instantly realized there was only one thing left. She raised her hand and closed the cyborg's eyelids.

Uno was gone, and Nanoha was alone.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

You killed Uno, you bastard! ..wait, what?

Nanoha: "You really enjoy killing my support, don't you? This is the SECOND time you've done this to me! Don't you care how that screws me up!"

Kaijo: "For you, this is a changing moment in your life, where the ground gets knocked out from under you, your feelings get pushed through the wringer, and you spend time angsting. But for me, it was Tuesday."


	8. Adrift

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 8: Adrift**

Xx~~*~~xX

Grains of sand lifted by the wind blew past the lone traveler in a spiral pattern, causing her to hunch over slightly and pull her brown cloak tighter around her body due to the brush of cold air. Her head was lowered slightly, covered with a hood that masked her features as she journeyed across the treeless prairie. Tufts of grass were the only vegetation, and the dusty road was visible for miles ahead, winding it's way across the mostly flat landscape between the hilly plateaus.

But all this was of minor thought to the traveler; the only things Nanoha could think about were Uno's final moments a couple of days ago. She continued to vacillate between just giving up and allowing her self to break down, and holding strong to her promise and Uno's faith in her. Just when she had finally begun to find some footing and make a change in her attitude to fit her new reality, she found the ground she was standing on gone, forcing her to wonder just what she had been doing all this time.

She was continuing on as best she could, using the earpiece to avoid patrols and search parties, but she still had no idea where she was going. Uno's only map was in the cyborg's mind, and although Nanoha had a decent knowledge of Mid-Childa, that was from 50 years ago. She had no idea if certain towns still existed, or what was different. She knew the major metropolises that existed in her time where she might get the amulet fixed, but she wasn't near any of them.

And so she kept walking in the general direction that Uno was moving in before, but taking a detour across this prairie, since apparently the search parties were concentrating on combing the woods. They apparently didn't expect her to cross this near-wasteland, and for good reason; less chance of finding food or water out here.

Which brought her back to how much she found herself missing her travel companion. Uno, a clone of Jail himself, had once tortured her daughter and refused rehabilitation afterward, and even though she was a party to Nanoha's clone creation and thus being in this mess in the first place... somehow, Nanoha had come to depend on her as a friend and guide; her loss left holes in two big areas.

Her foot caught on a small rock and she stumbled, nearly falling to her feet, and she berated herself for not watching where she was going, wondering why she didn't see it as she wiped her eyes. She knew, though; despite Uno and Jail getting her into this situation, she knew that this world needed saving, and her friends needed her help, whether they realized it or not. So she wasn't angry at Jail or Uno for this; in their own twisted way, they were actually trying to do the right thing. Nanoha didn't know if there was an afterlife, but she honestly hoped Uno had found some measure of peace in it.

More sand blew past her, a greater volume than last time as the wind picked up, flapping the loose ends of her cloak around and sent a shiver through her sweater-and-trousers-clad body. Nanoha realized that regardless of anything else, she hoped this road would lead her to where she needed to go; because she was a currently a woman in need of a destination.

x~~*~~x

"So you never did tell me about the kid," Pendo whispered, barely sparing a glance into the back of the horse-drawn cart that was moving at a decent clip down the dusty road.

His partner shrugged as they rode along. "I didn't ask. He simply paid money for passage. I think he might have mentioned that he was looking for someone, though."

Pendo scratched his head. "Really? Wonder who a kid like that is looking for all by himself."

He finally did spare a glance back, but the small form was mostly covered by his own cloak, holding it tight against the colder air as a shield against the wind-chill factor. He hadn't said a word the entire trip, and he didn't appear to be likely to for the rest of it, either.

"Well, long as there is no trouble on the road to Farhaven," Pendo said at last. "I just want-"

Without warning, the kid suddenly stood up. "Thanks for the ride, but I'm gettin' off here."

The two men stared in disbelief as the boy jumped out of the cart, rolled to his feet, and sprinted off into the woods.

"Well, if that don't beat all,." Pendo declared, summing up his partner's feelings as well.

x~~*~~x

"Still no sign of her?" Wendi asked, yawning as she entered the bridge of Teana's small transport ship.

"None," Nove answered, not looking up from her screen. "We've covered almost a hundred square kilometers now; they couldn't have just disappeared!"

Wendi sat down beside her sister, looking morose. "It's my fault. If I had followed orders, they wouldn't have been able to slip away."

"You messed up, yeah, but whining about it won't help," Nove admonished her. "If only we had some clue as to where they were headed, or what they were planning to accomplish."

"I still don't know, but the clone seemed to have all of Nanoha's memories and abilities, and acted like her," Wendi added, gazing lazily over her report screens. "Whatever Jail was planning, he seemed to really need Nanoha herself."

"Well, from the battle results, it certainly seems like Nanoha," Nove continued thinking aloud. "Only one Enforcer died. The rest were beat up, but they'll make it. From what I know of her, she doesn't like to kill. Even Quattro survived the JS incident and Nanoha had every reason to kill her."

"Fate didn't kill the doctor, either, when she had the chance back then, and now look at her," Wendi countered, then her brow furrowed. "Wait a minute... Uno was with her and must have been the one who killed the Enforcer..."

Nove shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

Wendi began digging through multiple screens. "You know how Uno was Jail's other brain, always planning and scheming and thinking ahead, kinda like Quattro."

"You think you know what she's up to?" Nove questioned, standing up and walking over to look over her sister's shoulder.

Wendi continued to flick through screens, until she finally found it. "Not exactly, but... ah, here it is."

"Isn't that the autopsy report from your Enforcer?" Nove inquired.

"Yeah, here it is, cause of death was a broken neck, which isn't the sort of thing this Nanoha would do, I think," Wendi noted, continuing to scroll down, reading. "So Uno must have done it. And here we go; he was missing his ear communicator. At the time, I assumed it might have fallen out or something. But if Uno was close enough to him to break his neck..."

"Then she could have grabbed it at the same time," Nove finished, smacking her hand with her fist. "And she'd know about the technology we have. She could use it to listen in on our search operations, and that's how they could avoid us and stay hidden! I'll have to issue manual orders to switch communication frequencies, and-"

"Don't bother," came Teana's voice, causing the two cyborgs to look over at their sister and commander's smiling face in the doorway. "We can use it to our advantage. We'll still have to issue orders manually, but we can make Uno think we're somewhere else with the official frequencies. Good job, Wendi, by the way."

"I learned from the best," Wendi replied, grinning.

Teana brought up a wide area map. "We've searched over here and found nothing, but by now they could be almost anywhere. There are four towns where they could head to, and we have Enforcers undercover in each one. We'll have the rest begin a straight sweep north, sector by sector, and change our base of operations to this location here, where we can respond more quickly once we receive sign of them."

"They could still be anywhere," Nove noted. "Especially if they double-backed."

Teana shook her head. "I don't think so. Uno seems to be very deliberately taking Nanoha somewhere. After they destroyed that base, they went back to Hellena and crossed the ocean. That was a risky move, when they could have hidden out in the mountains northeast of the facility. It would have been rougher, but safer.

Teana leaned back and tapped the top of the holographic map. "No, they're heading north for some reason, and that leads to one place."

All three glanced upwards at the border marked by dotted lines, and the description of that territory which read, "Saint Church Occupied Zone."

x~~*~~x

Fortunately the prairie slowly gave way to more trees and greenery, and even allowed her to find a small stream trickling along in a sparse forest. It was a good thing, too, as she had emptied both canteens over the two days it took her to cross that prairie. But while the water quenched her thirst, it did nothing for her heavy heart, or her sense of being directionless; she still didn't know where she was, or even where she was going.

However, the cool water did pick her spirits up some as she removed her shoes, cloak and pack, and dipped her sore feet in the cool water, laying back in the grass and closing her eyes to rest. She was used to hard work, but days of travel could wear even her out, and she didn't know when she'd get another chance at a stream. She was tempted to remove her sweater, too, but decided against it; she'd need to keep as much of her body heat as possible, as the weather had been getting a bit colder lately. She was just glad she had managed to pick up another set of clothes, in addition to the Number's jumpsuit she started with and the maid outfit she left town in, still carrying both in the pack.

Then she tried to let her concerns fade for the moment, just enjoying the peace and serenity this area offered. However, the occasional bird call, the low trickle of the stream, and the trees swaying to the breeze all spoke to her of what she was missing:

Someone to talk to.

Oh, she was more than capable of being alone, but it would have been nice to have some company, and she realized that Uno did serve that function as well. It would be nice to find a travel companion, anyone really, just to talk to.

She sighed, her spirits dropping again as she realized a truth. [Except I probably shouldn't get too close to people, since they could figure out who I am and it would give me away. But who I am supposed to trust? Can I really do this all on my own?]

Maybe it was exhaustion from all the travel or her own lowered spirit, but she just barely managed to roll out of the way of the attack at the last moment when she would have normally sensed it coming long before. However, as she came to her feet and dodged the next thrust, she realized that her attacker had a distinct range and height disadvantage; and obviously not too skilled with that dagger, either.

Nanoha sidestepped the jumping slash, then grabbed the kid's cloak and yanked it hard, pulling him back to her and draping it over his head, pinning his arms.

"Let me go!" came a muffled shout that Nanoha recognized. Curious, she disarmed him of the knife and pushed him away, eyes widening as the kid pulled the cloak off so he could see again, revealing his face.

Givo wiped his cheek and glared at her. "Give me back my knife."

"You attacked me with it, so it's mine now," Nanoha told him, more curious now than surprised, glancing down at the simple hunting knife, about 15 centimeters in length. "But I might be willing to give it back to you for a trade."

He studied her, incredulous. "What kind of trade?"

"You tell me why you decided to attack me," she explained; Nanoha had a guess, but she still needed to hear him say it. "And I'll give this back to you."

"You killed my mother," he spat at her; if his eyes were daggers, Nanoha knew she'd be dead now.

"That was Wendi, not me," she told him sadly, tossing the knife to stick in the grass midway between them.

"You could have stopped her if you killed her!" he shouted angrily at her, leaping forward to pull the weapon out to assault her again.

The comment stung and was probably responsible for her brief lapse which allowed him to get a shallow slash on her forearm, then she regained her bearings and quickly disarmed him again, this time kneeing him in the chest to knock the wind out of him.

"Well, you're not going to get your revenge like that," Nanoha told him, retrieving her shoes and pack. "And I have places to be. Go home. I'm sorry about your mother, and you can blame me if you like, but killing me won't bring her back. In fact, traveling with me will only get you killed. Do you think your mother would want that?"

She turned and started walking away, figuring to follow the small river downstream, to see where it would take her. At least she wouldn't want for water for awhile, and most towns were located by bodies of water.

This time she more clearly sensed the attack coming, spinning and putting up a Round Shield as the white bolt exploded against it, surprising her with how weak it was; or was it that she was that much stronger?

"That's right, you're a mage," she remembered as he continued to glare at her, but she turned her back to him once more. "All the more reason to return to your town to hide from the Enforcers. You can't beat me."

She heard his growl of frustration as she continued walking away. For a moment, she almost considered taking him with her, as it was her fault that his mother was dead; she couldn't be a replacement mother to him, but she could at least take care of him. But then she realized that's what the old Nanoha would do; she had to think more pragmatically, that taking him along would only be dangerous to both of them. He had a better chance on his own; at least, if he was caught by himself he'd just be pressed into service and be trained, whereas he'd be killed if he was found with her.

Sighing, Nanoha continued following the stream.

x~~*~~x

The small building was so pockmarked with holes, burn marks, and broken wooden pillars, that it was a miracle that it was even still standing; which the nun took to mean in the most literal sense, given her work in the Church and her faith in their Saint. Now if only she could figure out what the Saint's reasons for her current predicament, as she tried to pull herself up into a sitting position, wiping the blood trickling from her split lip and glaring steadily at her opponent.

"Schach Nouera, you are under arrest for treason, conspiracy to overthrow the government, assaulting an officer, and resisting arrest," Fate informed her solemnly, a line of Enforcers behind her to back up her position.

"You told me that before we started," the combat nun remarked, smiling slightly, then winced at the pain in her chest which she assumed to be from broken ribs, obtained from Fate blasting her into the altar.

"You're also finished," Fate added, pointing Bardiche at her. "Surrender, and tell me where Carim is."

"On Sabbatical," Schach answered with amusement.

The combat nun screamed as Fate jabbed her device into the former's stomach, unleashing a storm of electrically energy that sent Schach into spasms. After a moment, Fate pulled her weapon back, allowing the smoking and still-twitching form to recover as it curled into a fetal position.

"Don't make me do this, Schach," Fate implored her, her tone dropping into something more soothing. "Just tell me what I want to know, and this will all be over. We'll take care of you."

"Just like you... took care of Runessa and Isis?" Scach spat bitterly, still trying to regain control her body. "Just two more poor... traumatized girls we were helping... who ultimately committed the horrible crime of standing up to dictators. Don't lie, you like doing this!"

"Sacrifices have to be made," Fate replied, leaning down and pushing the woman onto her back. "Doesn't your faith demand those as well?"

"We are called upon to make... tough decisions, yes," the nun answered without hesitation. "But never to torture or harm innocents!"

"It's not a perfect world, but we make the best of it," Fate somewhat agreed, reaching down to grab Schach by the neck and lift her slowly against the wall. "But if you won't tell me where Carim is, perhaps you can answer one other question for me."

Still partially numb from the shocks and weak from the fight, Schach could only halfheartedly grab Fate's arm and glare at the woman. "And what... would that be?"

Fate fixed her with a deathly serious look. "Where is my daughter?"

x~~*~~x

Nanoha sighed as Givo lunged at her for the fourth time today, interrupting her as she lounged by her fire. Normally, she wouldn't have risked starting one since there was no cave to hide in this time, but the night air was growing colder, probably as a result of her continuing to move in a general northward direction, and so she needed the heat.

What she didn't need, however, was her pint-sized would-be assassin.

As before, she disarmed him easily enough, but this time he managed to get a kick in along her calf. Grimacing at the slight sting, she tossed him to the ground then cast a single circular bind, pinning his arms to his upper torso.

"Hey, let me go!" he yelled at her as he rolled a bit on the ground, trying to get free.

"You know, you really should just give up," she told him tiredly, sitting down next to her fire again. "You can't defeat me."

"I'll get stronger, and then you'll be sorry!" he shot back, still struggling against his binds. "I'll keep hunting you until you make a mistake, and then you'll be dead!"

Nanoha poked at the fire with a stick, lifting it to expose the smoldering tip. "Perhaps I should just kill you now so you don't bother me again, hmm?"

He quieted down at that, but she could feel him continuing to glare daggers at the back of her head. "Like you could do that; you're a coward! If you couldn't kill that woman, you can't kill me. And after I kill you, I'll go after her. Which is more than you can do!"

Something about that statement triggered something inside Nanoha and made her pause, as she partially glanced over her left shoulder. As he was now, he stood no chance of fighting Wendi, and was liable to get himself killed. And even on the off chance he did manage to take another life, it would start him on a path that would cause more pain and suffering, something this world had seen too much of already. However, he probably wouldn't be swayed directly from his course of action, so perhaps there was another way.

"You really want to go through with this revenge of yours?" she asked carefully. "Are you really prepared to take the life of another human being?"

His gaze didn't waver. "Of course!"

She stood up and turned to face him, thinking about how to phrase this. "How far are you willing to go to get your revenge?"

"As far as I have to!" he proclaimed.

Nanoha allowed a small smile to appear on her face. "How about if I trained you?"

That made him pause as he stared at her, his glare turning into confusion. "Why would you do that when I want to kill you? Why would you help me?"

"I'll take that chance, if you will," Nanoha told him, hands on her hips. "But as you stand now, you'll never defeat me or Wendi. So, yes or no?"

His gaze was firm. "Yes. But no promises that I won't kill you while you sleep or something!"

Nanoha smiled. "Good, then we start now. Break out of that bind."

"I've been trying to!" he growled at her, his face contorting a bit as he strained again.

"That's because you're trying to do so with pure physical force, which won't work," she informed him. "My magic is greater than your physical strength. I've seen you cast spells before, so you know how to harness your mana. Calm down and do that now, but instead of working it into a spell, force it into the bind. Use that to disrupt the magic holding it together."

He eyed her for a second, then closed his eyes as he concentrated; a short moment later, the bind wavered and dissipated and he leapt to his feet in triumph. "I did it!"

"That was your first lesson," she told him. "Binds are an important part of combat, both knowing when to use them, and how to get out of them. If I had forced more of my magic into it to counter your attempt to break it, I could have kept you bound, so it won't always work if a more powerful mage is fighting you on it. But most mages in the midst of combat will toss a quick bind up with a predetermined amount of magic in them in order to focus their energies on their next move, so you have to work at breaking binds until it's second nature.

She turned around and sat down, patting the space next to her. "Now, for lesson number two, come sit here."

Warily, he did as she asked, surprised when she handed him a granola bar. "You're giving me your food?"

"A mage's diet is also important to increase the flow and quality of mana you have access to," she explained, then tapped her upper chest. "What you eat affects your linker core, here. Keep it healthy, and your magic will grow in strength. I have some meat strips I'm cooking at the moment, too."

Silence descended as the two sat there and watched the fire, then consumed the cooked meat when it was done. Nanoha could occasionally feel his eyes on her, but while the anger and hate was still there, she sensed some confusion was beginning to replace it. She briefly wondered about all this, as she couldn't really spare the time to look after a child; but she realized he wouldn't go home, and she did still feel responsible for him. Teaching him would keep him safe for now, and perhaps enable him to survive without his mother.

Eventually, she stopped feeding the fire and let it slowly die while she laid down and rested her head on her pack, facing away from him. "You can kill me during the night if you want to. But then you won't learn what you need to know to fight Wendi. It's your choice."

She sensed he didn't move for some time, probably debating it, then she heard his footsteps travel away from her, into the bushes. Curious, she turned over to see him dragging a pack in, apparently having stashed it prior to his latest ambush. He unrolled a sleeping mat and laid down, shooting her a dark look.

"Same goes for you," he told her evenly. "If you leave in the middle of the night, I'll just hunt you down again and next time I won't hesitate!"

She nodded, smiling. "Agreed." Then a thought struck her. "How did you manage to find me?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I've always been able to find stuff when I focus on it. But it has to be something I'm familiar with, or can visualize really well."

"I see," Nanoha replied, deducing it probably was a byproduct of his particular magic style. She also realized that it wouldn't be too useful to her own predicament; that would be too easy. She only knew that someone awaited her somewhere, and that probably wasn't enough info for him to go on.

"Where's your friend?" Givo suddenly asked, seemingly noticing for the first time that she was alone. "Did you two separate?"

Nanoha closed her eyes and turned over. "Something like that. Her injuries were too great, and she passed away a couple of days ago."

"So you know what it's like to lose someone," he noted, his voice unreadable.

She thought of Uno, and Randy, Tre, Subaru, Shamal, Zafira, and so many others, who had died. And then of those who had changed so much and didn't seem like what she knew before, with Hayate and Fate. Then finally, those who she didn't know whether they were alive or dead, or whether she'd ever see them again: Vivio, Yuuno, Erio, and Caro among others.

A single tear ran leaked from her closed eyes. "Something like that."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha still felt directionless, but over the next few days, she began to find a small purpose in the form of training Givo. She had him perfect a bind spell before brushing him up on the fundamentals of defense, with barriers and shields. He complained, because he wanted to learn bigger and better attack spells, and wondered why she wasn't teaching him those.

"My old teacher stressed to me the important of barriers and binds," she told him mysteriously, which only made him sigh in frustration. "When you've perfected those, we'll move onto attack spells."

But despite his annoyance, he kept with it and progressed relatively quickly, and close to the end of the fourth day, he was able to create a decent shield, though nothing too powerful; Nanoha could break it easily. It wasn't entirely his fault as he had never been trained before and was now really working out a muscle he had rarely exercised. However, his bind spells showed more promise

She remembered Uno's warning about unnecessary use of magic, but since Uno had also informed her that the sentinel drones were the magic detectors, and she hadn't seen one of those since she left Organtz, she felt his small spells were safe enough and might go undetected. A calculated risk, although she could hear Uno in her mind admonishing her for her carelessness, but it was one she took anyway. It actually felt good to train someone again, as it put her back in familiar territory; in a world where everything was different, this was something she knew.

But the last of the supplies Uno had taken with them out of Organtz were slowly drying up, and Nanoha had Givo take them to the nearest town to restock. She still had some money, but she informed him they might take up some temporary jobs to get more. That's when he showed her his money that he gained from selling the restaurant. It wasn't a whole lot, but more than enough to sustain them for awhile. When she questioned him about it, he blew it off.

"Meh, I only liked living there because mom was there," he told her, shrugging. "I didn't really feel like a serving boy, and I'm no cook."

"So what did you want to do with your life?" she asked him, curious.

He didn't blink an eye. "Take revenge on the Bureau that took my dad from me. And now my mom."

Nanoha quieted down at that, not knowing what else to say as the pair approached the next tow, covering her head with her cloak's hood almost by reflex, and keeping her face lowered. While it was unlikely that anyone here would recognize her, she didn't want it known she was here, either; she didn't want to take any chances.. According to the ear piece, Teana's group was searching a section 50 kilometers west of here, so she figured she was safe. Still, she didn't want to stay here very long.

Farhaven was a small oval shaped village cut out of the surrounding forest and surrounded by a several meter tall wall made of tree trunks bound together, which gave it the appearance of an old frontier fort town. According to Givo, it was a gathering place for lumberjacks, hunters, trappers, and farmers to exchange goods, mainly, so Nanoha figured there would be a good chance of stocking up on fresh food and supplies.

She allowed Givo to go into the general store to do the buying in order to not draw attention to herself, and instead hung back and pretended watch the goings-on in the town; and that's when she started to feel a bit uncomfortable. There was something wrong, she decided as she gazed around in as subtle a manner as she could manage. She wasn't sure what, as it was there just tickling the edge of her mind, but there was definitely something off about the place.

It reminded her a bit of those wild west towns from old movies, with a dirt main road straight through town and various wooden shacks and buildings no more than two stories high on either side. There were even some horses among the various old trucks and assorted vehicles, and most people sported either cloaks or ponchos similar to hers, or wide-brimmed hats that would shield against the rains.

And that's what bugged her, she realized; it was almost as if everyone was deliberately trying to be inconspicuous, but trying too hard at it. Why? It was supposed to be some sort of market town, so she expected more activity.

"We're leaving, now," Nanoha told Givo as he returned.

He looked at her. "What for? I haven't got everything we need, and I thought you said you wanted a sleeping mat?"

She began to walk with him back towards the entrance. "I'll explain later, but..."

She trailed off as they both noticed the large front gate swinging shut, causing her to pause and evaluate her other options; but any plans she was formulating dissipated the moment she felt something press against her head to the sound of a click.

"Nice of you to join us, Nanoha," Teana told her, having stepped out from between two buildings, holding one of her guns against the cloned mage's head. "About time you showed up here. Though, it wouldn't be very friendly of you to leave right away, not when we set this party up just for you."

Without moving much, Nanoha quickly glanced around noticed some of the men and women around the area remove their ponchos and cloaks, revealing Enforcer armor and uniforms, with two of them being Nove and Wendi.

"It's payback time for what you did at Organtz," Wendi threatened, smacking one fist into the palm of her other hand.

A cold numbing pit formed in her stomach as she realized she had just walked into a trap.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Oh hey, seems like a nice cliff to hang from. =)


	9. Points of Contention

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 9: Points of Contention**

Xx~~*~~xX

This was bad, Nanoha decided.

Even if she could evade or shield against a point-blank shot by Teana, she still had to contend with both Nove and Wendi, the Enforcers, and a dozen sentinel drones now ringing the town. Also, there was Givo to consider, although the others seemed to be paying him no mind; Nanoha really hoped he kept his cool and didn't try anything rash. So far, he had been silent.

"We've actually been tracking you these past couple of days," Teana informed her casually. "And when we realized you were heading for this town, well, it made the perfect trap. There's nowhere for you to run."

"No arrest speech, Enforcer Lanster?" Nanoha questioned as orange binds encircled her body. "Things at the Bureau really have changed."

"What makes you think we plan to simply arrest you?" the gun Enforcer mocked, Nanoha catching the undertones in the lighthearted words. "And it's Head of Homeworld Security Teana Lanster Nakajima, now."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow at the last name; she hadn't heard about that particular development. "So did you..."

"Genya adopted me," Tea clarified quickly.

"I heard about Subaru, I'm sorry," Nanoha offered, promptly receiving a hard, physical strike to the back of her head with the butt of the gun.

"You don't have any right to speak her name, clone!" Teana seethed. "The only reason you're still alive right now is that I want answers. What is Jail sending you to do? Why did he clone you?"

Nanoha groaned at the pain, having only remained upright due to the binds holding her. "Would you believe me if I told you I didn't know?"

Teana surprised her with her response. "Heh, we had considered that the programming might be subconscious, with you not even aware. And I admit, my orders are terminate you, but I was curious to know exactly what Jail had planned for you. If you have the real Nanoha's memories, then you can understand the danger of someone with your power having subconscious programming."

The idea did make Nanoha pause; was there hidden programming she wasn't aware of? She had already accepted that she didn't know what Jail intended for her, although apparently that would serve his goals, which she assumed to be similar to hers; the removal of Hayate from power. But what if it were something more nefarious? All this time, she was just working under the assumption that she'd decide what to do once she found out, and that if she learned it was bad, she'd decide to do something else.

But what if she didn't have a choice? What if Teana was right, and she'd instantly act and do something unspeakable, something she had no control over? The very idea shook her to her very core; it almost made her want to turn herself in.

Almost.

"Maybe," Nanoha admitted at last. "And perhaps Jail does have something bad planned. But it can't be much worse than what I've seen since I awoke. I know a bit of what happened after the real Nanoha died, but I never believed my friends would turn our world, our universe, into a dictatorship that ruled through fear."

"Things have changed; we do what we need to in order to keep the peace," Teana told her, an audible click and then a quiet whine from Cross Mirage as she prepared a shot. "But it's no longer your concern."

"Tea, I wanna do it!" Wendi complained as the two cyborgs stopped a couple of meters away. "I want revenge for what she did to me!"

Before Teana could respond or fire, however, white binds sprang into existence around Wendi, catching everyone by surprise. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, Givo had launched himself toward the trapped cyborg, knife out.

"THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER!" he screamed in such a rage that Nanoha wondered how he was holding it back all this time.

But despite the surprise on his side, the cyborgs recovered quicker; Nove stepped between them and smacked Givo down hard, sending the body tumbling through the dirt, the knife spinning away. Wendi recovered a second later, grimacing as she broke the binds holding her, then advanced on the boy.

"Little brat!" she seethed, picking him up by his neck and holding him up at arm's length. "Hey, I remember you! You're the kid that hit me with that weak spell before. I'm gonna enjoy messing you up."

Givo defiantly stared at her in anger, blood leaking from his lip from his mouth as he grabbed her arm and tried to free himself, but it the difference in physical strength was plainly evident.

"No, don't-" Nanoha started to say, turning, before Teana blasted her and sent her to the ground; it was a non-lethal stun shot, but it still hurt a whole lot more than the stun shots she was used to.

"Wendi, he's a mage, you know what that means," the gun mage told her sister sternly.. "You can rough him up a bit more later, but Hayate's orders take precedence."

"One little mage won't make much of a difference," Wendi argued back, beginning to squeeze as Givo gasped for breath.

Nanoha watched from the ground as the cyborg choked him, her body still unresponsive, and she was still bound even if her limbs would respond. A stinging tingle still resonated in almost every cell, but the greater pain was watching Givo being choked, and the regret of bringing him along; she should have realized it was a bad idea, given how dangerous her situation was. And now he would pay the price.

"Wendi," Teana ordered again, seemingly conveying a lot with a single word.

"Feh, fine," the cyborg replied, dropping Givo to the ground as he coughed for breath. "You got off lucky, kid. The next time you try to kill someone, make sure you succeed."

Teana bound Givo then returned to Nanoha, kicking Nanoha over to her back, grinning slightly since Nanoha's hood was now off and exposing her head. "Well, looks like you decided on a makeover; shame, I was rather envious of your hair at one time. But listen close, because the only reason you're still alive, is that you're going to tell us where Uno is."

Nanoha's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to kill me either way, why should I say at all?"

"Because if you don't, I let Wendi have another round with the kid, and this time I won't stop her," Teana threatened.

This wasn't the Teana that she knew, Nanoha realized, because she honestly realized the woman could go through with that threat. And in her mind, Nanoha could hear Uno berating her for that fact; _I told you they had changed._

"Uno is dead," Nanoha stated solemnly at last.

Teana raised an eyebrow. "I'm not entirely sure I believe you, but I suppose we can always have Quattro examine your brain when you're a corpse later. You telling us now would have simply saved us the trouble." She charged a shot. "Goodbye, Nanoha."

[So this is how it ends,] she thought bitterly, straining against her binds again, but she knew Teana would get the shot off before she broke them. [I'm sorry, Uno, I guess I couldn't accomplish anything on my own after all.] She found her eyes closing.

And promptly shot open again as she heard a magic shot fire, and yet she was still alive. Staring, she caught the after-image of a thin green beam piercing Teana's gun, surprise on her would-be executioner's face as the weapon was knocked from her hand.

x~~*~~x

On a hill over a kilometer away, a figure breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered his head from his rifle sight, pleased he had done it when the call was ordered. Almost immediately, he tried to steady his hands as they began to shake, a consequence of him trying so hard to hold his body still; these episodes were coming more and more often these days.

Still, he managed to pat his gun and smile. "Thank you, Storm Raider,"

"My pleasure, old friend," the sniper rifle replied cheerily.

x~~*~~x

"Someone stop her!" a male enforcer shouted.

Nanoha's eyes, along with everyone else's, were a new individual had darted across the road and zig-zagged through the Enforcers at incredible speeds, making everyone else seem like they were moving in slow motion. Nove and Wendi stepped up to stop her as she got close, but the figure leapt over them, planting hands on each of their heads while upside down in mid-air and knocking them together, before coming to a stop in front of Teana with her hands up.

"That's far enough," the gun mage told her, her other weapon out and pointed at the newcomer. "Who are you?"

Nanoha wondered for a brief moment why the woman suddenly stopped and raised her hands in surrender, as a couple dozen Enforcers surrounded her, covering her with their staves. Behind them, the two cyborgs were dizzily getting to their feet and rubbing their heads, but attention was centered on the mysterious woman; she reached up and untied the neck strap on her cloak, letting it fall to the ground, exposing a head of neck-length red-violet hair, a colorful fighting outfit, and a huge smile that indicated she was quite pleased with herself.

"Rio Wesley," Teana intoned, disgust evident in her voice.. "I didn't think you'd be so stupid as to come this far south. Your group hasn't been active for quite awhile, and you may just have managed to keep surviving if you kept your head down. You're dumber than I thought you were, to come here alone."

"What makes you think I came here alone?" Rio hinted, still grinning like a madwoman at Teana's glare. In response to that question, more people appeared in doorways and windows, pointing their own staves and improvised weapons at the Enforcers, making Nanoha wonder if anyone in the town was a regular villager. "But if you'll kindly hand over the woman and the boy, we'll be out of your hair."

"Sense of humor still working for you, I see, but you'll notice that you're a bit outnumbered," Teana pointed out, Nanoha realizing that was true; her own approximation put it about 60:30 in favor of the Enforcers.

Rio simply folded her arms across her chest, smile never wavering as a large stone golem erupted from the ground just outside the town wall and smashed two drones together with it's large hands.. "So what we have here is a good 'ole fashioned standoff. As a friend of mine would say, 'Do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?'"

Teana glared at the woman as the wind blew, sending a tumble weed down the main dirt road through town, and even the Enforcers were looking around a bit nervously; everyone knew that it would only take a single spark and the entire situation would go up in flames. For a moment, Nanoha wondered if Teana would give in or not. She felt it unlikely, but she only needed a few more seconds to undo her binds, realizing that was probably the reason Rio was trying to draw things out.

"Maybe..." Teana said at last, lips slowly curving upwards. "KILL THEM ALL!"

"KAISER FORCE GO!" Rio yelled in response.

The next few seconds erupted into complete chaos as everything went from the frying pan into the fire.

Almost literally.

The gun mage fired on Rio, but the other woman was already leaping into the air, wings of flame erupting from her backside and a fiery shield blocking the shots that didn't miss. The spot she had just vacated, though, erupted into twin columns of magic energy topped by dragon heads, one of lightning and one of flame; they coiled around each other as they rose, their appearance creating a shock wave that knocked back the surrounding circle of Enforcers.

Teana then seemed to remember Nanoha and began to turn her way to finish her off, but the latter had just broken free of her binds and rolled out of the way, shedding her cloak and pack and grabbing Randy's staff in one smooth motion while extending the handle and shielding against Teana's fire. Then the gun mage dove into the alley between the buildings as both Rio and Nanoha fired on her position.

At the same time, the entire town erupted into crisscrossing beams of magic energy and explosions, friend and foe almost lost in the massive free-for-all; friendly fire was almost more deadly than those coming from the enemy, and it was for this reason that Nanoha ignored Teana and dove for the still-bound Givo. Teana's magic was strong and it had taken Nanoha several minutes to break free, so she knew it would take him even longer; in the meantime, he was a sitting duck.

Fortunately, she managed to reach him and scoop him up under her right arm, using Axel Shooter salvos to lay down cover fire while she addressed him. "Hold still, and I'll get you out of that in a moment."

Her first inclination was to fly out of of the area to safety, but a large barrier suddenly went up over the town, negating that prospect; she'd need another Starlight Breaker to shatter it, and there was currently no safe place for her to stand and charge one.

"NANOHA!" Wendi screamed angrily, firing while she swooped in on her board; clearly, Givo wasn't the only one who wanted revenge.

Nanoha threw up a shield as she took to the air, sending a wave of pink orbs at Wendi who tipped her board up and strengthened her AMF, dissolving the shots, but the action did serve to give Nanoha some distance and temporary breathing space. She wasn't quite sure whether this Rio had some sort of plan, but they needed to coordinate if they were going to win.

"[Rio, can you hear me?]" Nanoha sent telepathically weaving between beams and firing a wave of magic missiles as several enforcers targeted her, joining Wendi in her pursuit. "[Do you have a plan?]"

"[Kinda making it up as I go along, heh,]" Rio admitted a bit sheepishly. "[Oof! We have someone working, unh, on the barrier from outside but not sure – hiyah! - when he can bring it down.]"

"[If you have a safe place I can put a young boy, then I can bring down the barrier,]" Nanoha offered, dodging as Wendi came in again.

Rio was silent a moment, then, "[Take him to the golem; a friend of mine can hide him inside.]"

Nanoha wondered at that, but headed there anyways, weaving through scattered beams and other magical shots while blocking others. The golem itself was a mass of hard rock, and as soon as Nanoha began to wonder how it would protect Givo, a small opening appeared on the back of it's neck with a voice in her head telling her to put him in. Nanoha wasted no time dropping him into it against his cries to let him go, and the hole promptly closed up again.

Then Nanoha was forced to divert her attention as Wendi coming in again, firing, Teana with her, too.

x~~*~~x

In the chaos of the battlefield, two old "friends" quickly found each other.

Rio did a series of flips backward to gain some space while Nove swung around on her Airliner road, then leapt off, angling her body towards her opponent and spinning feet first in a full-body drill kick. The ground exploded as Rio barely dodged it by twisting in mid-air, but the shock wave still knocked her away. Nove leapt out of her newly formed hole to follow up on her advantage, planting a hand on the ground and flipping her body over to come down in an axe kick that aimed to slam into Rio's gut and nail the woman to the ground.

However, her nimble opponent recovered and twisted in mid-air, kicking out with one leg to meet Nove's, the power behind each attack causing a pause in the action for a split second. Then the moment passed and Nove's momentum proved to be greater, pushing Rio away who planted a hand in the dust as she landed, then sprung forward the instant her feet hit the ground. For the next several seconds, a series of close range blows, blocks, and counters were exchanged, but neither could pass the other's defenses until Rio spun and threw a straight, flaming, power punch that the cyborg was forced to block with both arms.

Nove glanced up after skidding backwards several meters, while the two lightly panting women sized each other up.

"Not bad," Nove offered, lowering her arms and brushing them dramatically. "It's been, what, 20 years since we've clashed like this? During the war, I believe."

"Something like that," Rio agreed, then her face changed to show some respect, and her tone became a bit softer. "I had a good teacher."

The cyborg nodded while preparing her stance again. "And yet the student will never best the master, because I taught you everything you know. But this isn't exactly a fair one-on-one fight, don't you think so?"

A slow smile crept over over Rio's face. "You're right. Agito, please."

"[But...]" Agito started to complain, then realized Rio was serious and would have her way; she canceled the unison. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I," Rio chuckled as her hair and barrier jacket returned to normal colors, giving the little demon a soft look. "Go help the others, I'll be fine." She then turned back, mirroring her ex-mentor's attack stance while. "Alright, Nove, it's time to show you the new tricks I've learned since we last fought."

Agito took one last look at the two, sighed, then shook her head and flew off, deciding to take her flaming anger out on the drones.

"Let's find out!" Nove growled, skates providing speed as she charged in, fist raised.

The two women met again, each very familiar with the other's style and thus neither one was able to really gain much of an advantage. Nove's last minute leap and spin kick was dodged under, and Rio's return handstand kick was blocked by Nove's arm. The roller skate cyborg punched downward but only struck dirt as Rio pushed off with her hands, launching her body into the air and quickly putting up a shield as a hail of yellow energy bullets emerged from the dust cloud that currently obscured her opponent. Nove continued to fire as Rio allowed her body to fall, rolling out of the way from follow-up shots when she hit the ground as she prepared her own spell.

[Fire magic in the left hand, lightning magic in the right,] she recited mentally, the corresponding fists igniting with their element.

Rio rolled to her feet, spinning and lashing out with the left hand. "Hiyah!"

Nove's eyes widened as a fireball streaked towards her, barely managing to twist her body out of the way as the red ball almost grazed her. She turned back just in time to see Rio up close and personal, right hand crackling with lightning magic as the other woman swung low and slammed into the cyborg's gut, all the muscles in her body undergoing spasms as the electricity coursed through her. Then Rio finished her jumping uppercut and sent Nove flying away, hitting the ground and rolling, but managing to recover enough to form another Airliner road sideways, that allowed her to spin out of the follow up two-fisted hammer blow that threw up another cloud of dirt.

There was another pause while Nove finally returned to her feet, wiping blood off her lip, her limbs shaking slightly as they worked off the electrical energy. "The fireball was new."

Rio grinned and assumed a ready stance, stretching out her arm to beckon with her hand. "Told ya, new tricks."

"You're not the only one," Nove countered, clenching her fists. "Jet Edge, stage two." Short, yellow, energy spikes emerged from the toes of her skates, while two longer ones emerged from her gunknuckles, effectively forming forearm energy blades. "Let's do this."

Rio raised an eyebrow; this wasn't going to be as easy as she expected.

x~~*~~x

It wasn't so much of a hole as it was a doorway that Givo tumbled through, cursing the entire time. The only bright spot was that he finally managed to break his binds when he hit bottom; they were much stronger than the ones Seikou used to bind him with, which made him think she was holding back on him. Still, it enabled him to sit up and glance around the cramped compartment he found himself in.

And made him realize he wasn't alone.

"Hello!" greeted the woman who shot him a brief look and smile, buried up to her waist in rock with a holographic view screen in front of her. "I'm Corona Timil. And you are?"

"Givo," he said, his anger giving way to curiosity. "Are you controlling this thing?"

She nodded, her eyes returning to the view screen as the golem shook, some of the Enforcer's firing on it. "I used to ride on top, but it could make things a bit difficult. I find this a nice compromise."

Givo glanced at the screen, following the action for a bit before he noticed Seikou in the sky, darting around with Wendi and another woman after her. "Hey, it's her! I need to get that woman! How do you get out of this thing? I... woah!"

He found himself rolling against the side of the compartment as the golem moved suddenly, lurching and twisting, quickly realizing why the woman had anchored herself in the rock.

"Sorry about that, but you'll have to remain here for now," she told him, swinging at the air with her fists which caused the golem to punch out, slamming into the ground and sending Enforcers flying while Givo tumbled across tiny stone cockpit again.

"Hey, stop that!" he protested, sitting up again and rubbing his head.

Corona patted a space next to her, and a small hole formed there. "Lower yourself into that and I'll secure you so you don't roll around." He simply stared at her, and she shrugged. "Well, you're not getting out until this is over, so it's up to you."

Sighing, he slipped into it up to his waist, and the rock snugly held him instead of crushing him like he expected. "At least get that Wendi woman!"

Corona caused the golem to look up which tilted the view screen into the sky as she considered it. "Hmm, she's a bit out of range and moving too fast. I can't fly with this. But you're right; your friend could use some help."

They both watched as Seikou blocked combined fire from the gun mage and surfboard cyborg, which shattered her shield and sent her plunging to the ground, the surfboard cyborg and gun mage firing as they descended after her.

Then Givo had an idea. "Get us over there and get their attention, and I think I can do something."

"You got it!" she chirped. "Brunzell, let's pick up the pace!"

"I do hard!" a little dagger replied with bad grammar which Givo noticed for the first time; it was plunged, blade first, into the rock in front of her.

The golem broke out into a run while Givo concentrated, keeping the image of Wendi in his mind and on the screen. The two antagonists on screen appeared to notice the lumbering giant headed their way just as Corona took a deep breath and focused. Outside, the golem's 'mouth' fired a magic green beam that swept the sky, sending the two antagonists scattering in different directions, but pelting the giant with return fire as they did so.

The golem listed to the side as bits and pieces of magically-hardened rock chipped and broke off which threatened to completely overwhelm it, but a large pink beam shot out of the ground and nearly enveloped Teana who was forced to shield then fly away. Givo kept his focus on Wendi and reached out with both hands, releasing his spell.

The surfboard cyborg found her left wrist bound, locking her in mid-air as Corona fired off another green beam from the golem's head, but Wendi merely angled her board up, pumping up the AMF generator and completely nullifying the attack. The cyborg stuck her tongue out and reached up with a finger to pull her right eyelid down.

Corona's eyes narrowed, then she raised both her arms, making fists.

Wendi's grin faded and her eyes widened as the golem's fists shot off from the arms, ascending like twin rockets and heading straight for her. The cyborg twisted her board and right arm cannon, firing on them and managing to blow one of the fists up in a shower of debris, then yanked her arm free of Givo's bind as the second barely missed her.

She grinned, laughed, and stated the obvious fact. "HA! You missed!"

Corona smiled, and made a small gesture. Wendi apparently sensed something was off, and slowly turned around to notice that the remaining fist had arced back around and was now considerably large in her vision. She only had time to to cover herself and pump up her generators, but AMF didn't do much against plain old kinetic energy as the fist slammed into her. Corona quickly plunged the remains of her golem's arms into the ground, pulling them out with new hands just in time to clap them together on the falling cyborg.

Wendi fell to the ground, out of the fight.

"YES!" Givo cheered.

Corona smiled and high-fived him. "We make a good team!"

x~~*~~x

"Wendi!" Teana shouted in alarm, firing on her opponent with a hail of orange bullets. "You'll pay for that!"

Nanoha was almost able to suppress a small smile as she saw the stone golem take out Wendi; that made things easier on her, since now she could focus solely on Teana. "If you want to make me pay, you'll have to try a lot harder than that. Fighting for the wrong side has distorted your senses."

As Nanoha ducked and weaved through Teana's shots, canceling others with Axel Shooter, she realized she'd have to work to back up her own boast. Teana was much stronger and much more skilled then Nanoha remembered, but then again, 50 years had passed. If she had Raging Heart, it might have been a different story, but Randy's staff was barely able to handle the magic she was forcing through it, which limited her firepower.

And that left it as a battle of wits and tactics. [Think, Nanoha; you trained Teana, helped design Cross Mirage, you should know her tactics. Combine that with what you know of her now and figure something out!] Binds were out of the question for the moment, as Teana's flight was too quick and unpredictable, like her own.

"Don't give me that!" Teana shouted at her, firing. "Your wide-eyed naive optimism may have sounded great when we were young, but age has shown me the real world. You can't save people just by doing your best and working hard. Real life isn't a fairy tale!"

The words stung as the two exchanged homing magic missiles in a deadly mid-air dance; Nanoha could sense the lethal magic the other woman was employing. But what she said affected her far more, as Nanoha had seen first hand that her normal attitude just wasn't working in this world. Would she totally have to change everything about herself, discarding her previous beliefs? Would she have to become as hard as Teana in order to win?

She didn't know, that that's what scared her the most, as she fired another Divine Buster while on the move. Teana flew under it, but Nanoha was diving towards the ground as she prepared another set of orbs that ringed her body, weaving between buildings in an attempt to lose her pursuer. Teana kept up the pressure, though, pelting the buildings in the area with Crossfire shots, reducing them to splinters and Nanoha used the temporary debris cover to fire two of her orbs straight into the ground.

The barrage promptly let up as Nanoha approached the timber wall at the edge of town, away from the main street fighting. It was almost a bit too quiet she decided while glancing around for her quarry, suddenly finding Teana aiming at her from a broken window in the one of the buildings. Nanoha fired one of her orbs first, however, but when the image dissolved, she realized too late that it was Teana's illusion magic.

Glancing up, she found another Teana in the air who had just fired, but Nanoha dodged and rolled while releasing a second orb, but that one vanished as well. Nanoha grit her teeth as she ran, counting at least four more Teana's that vanished when she used the last of her orbs on them, leaving her wondering where the real one was.

Nanoha forced herself to focus. [If I were Teana setting up an illusion trap, I'd be right... there!] Twisting, she found the real Teana standing almost behind her, who had just fired a shot that Nanoha barely got a shield up to block. But as the shot dissolved against her shield, the magic turned into chains that arced around the shield wrapped around her arm and body. [A trap!]

"I've learned a lot since you died," Teana told told her, Nanoha catching the double meaning in the words. "That was one of them. This is another."

"Starlight Annihilation," Cross Mirage intoned ominously.

Nanoha's eyes widened. [There is no gathered magic in front of Teana, so where...] As her thoughts trailed off, her gaze went up. There, at the top of the dome, was a fairly decent-sized ball of purple magic that represented a mix of Teana's orange with the pink of a Starlight Breaker, and Nanoha instantly realized she must have been charging it all this time, but at a distance.

"It's your turn, for a change," Teana told her, raising her gun and preparing to pull the trigger.

Nanoha's eyes narrowed, sighing. "That was a good move; you almost had me. I figured you'd get me with an illusion, so I prepared this in advance."

Before Teana could respond to that, Nanoha's two earlier Axel Shooter orbs that she had fired into the ground, promptly exploded from the dirt at Teana's feet, shooting both guns out of her opponent's hands. The gun mage's eyes were wide as she stared in shock, then quickly tossed a beleaguered glance up as the ball of magic became unstable and began to expand outwards, dissipating.

Teana dove for her weapons But Nanoha didn't give her time, tipping her staff up and firing a Divine Buster that forced to Teana to shield as she picked up a gun.

"I didn't teach you that move to turn it into something lethal," Nanoha told her solemnly, breaking the bind and grasping the staff with both hands, continuing the attack as the other woman was forced back. "Things may not be perfect in this life, but that doesn't mean you give up trying. My life would have been much different if I allowed events to defeat me the way you've allowed them to."

"Shut up!" Teana shouted at her, anger very evident as she angled her shield down to slip off the beam and take to the air, returning Cross Mirage to dual gun mode. She turned to face down as she flew backwards, orange magic gathering at her gun's tips against a holographic sight. "You don't know what I've been through! It was because of you that I lost people I cared about! I'm not going to lose anyone ever again!"

"We've had this conversation before," Nanoha reminded her, planting her feet and aiming as she gathered the magic, made much easier and quicker since Teana had done much of it earlier; she needed only recapture and refocus it. "So like before, I guess I need to cool your head a bit."

However, unlike before, Teana got off her charged attack. "Phantom Blazer!"

Nanoha's own attack wasn't as fully charged as she would have liked, but she had no choice now. "Starlight Breaker!"

The lesser energy involved allowed her to keep better control of the staff and not damage it quite so much this time, as an ascending pink beam met a descending orange one and for a brief moment, both struggled for dominance. But one of Teana's guns was damaged and the cartridges of her other ran dry, while Nanoha focused and kept drawing in spent magic to power hers; thus, the wave of pink magic pushed back and swallowed up Teana's attack, engulfing her as it shot up into the air, continuing on to shatter the barrier covering the town.

The whole town seemed to stop and grow deathly quiet at that moment, as practically all eyes were drawn skyward to see if Teana had survived. But to the surprise of all, including Nanoha, the gun mage came out of the blast conscious, though her barrier jacket was heavily shredded. And as she began to fall, she still managed to turn and point her gun, squeezing off a hail of orange bolts.

But it wasn't Nanoha she was aiming at, the cloned mage realized, her eyes attempting to track exact where Teana was aiming. But someone else figured it out before she did did and let loose an anguished telepathic cry that hit almost all present.

"[RIO!]"

x~~*~~x

Nove panted heavily, two of her blades broken, but satisfied to see Rio was equally worn down, cuts and scrapes along her opponent's stomach and arms. She had to admit they were fairly evenly matched; discounting skill, Nove's cyborg strength canceled out Rio's magically-reinforced attacks. Just when she was wondering how to end this, both womens' gazes turned upwards as the column of pink magic erupted across town, shattering the barrier.

"[Nove, run, NOW!]" Teana sent, leaving the cyborg confused.

"[But-]" Nove started to send back, before a second wide-broadcast telepathic cry sounded and cut her off.

"[RIO!]"

Nove was forced to roll backwards and cover herself as a hail of quick orange fire shot out of the sky and engulfed her opponent, who tried to put up a shield at the last second.

Nove heard Teana repeat the order. "[GO, NOW!]"

Cursing, Nove knew enough to follow the command, forming an Airliner ramp over the town wall and putting on speed once she cleared it, clenching her eyes shut and sending one last telepathic message. "[I'll be back to rescue you, I swear it!]"

Then she was out of range. She went to maximum speed while a thin, green beam of magic grazed her arm, racing away from the scene of their defeat and the loss of her sisters, cursing all the while as the wind stung her wet cheeks.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I know a number of people wanted to see Vivio, but have patience. :P You just know Rio and Corona are gonna some things to say about that to Nanoha. ^_~

You can credit "JusticeHasCometh" for his request that I include the "cool your head a bit" line, which was from Strikers. Didn't have it planned before, but decided to try and work it in, heh.


	10. Mistresses of War

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 10: Mistresses of War**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha took the air, easily catching and binding Teana's falling and now unconscious body, relieving the other of her device as she touched back down in the middle of main street.

With the very visible display of their defeated leader and Nanoha's firm gaze that dared them to try her, the remaining Enforcers quickly surrendered, laying down their staves as they dropped to their knees and allowed Rio's remaining resistance fighters to capture them. Nanoha briefly entertained the idea of going after Nove, but she knew there was no way she'd catch up to the cyborg; on the ground, Nove was as fast as Subaru and Ginga were.

While Nanoha was landing, the golem quickly sprinted across town, moving faster than she thought possible. What's more, it shrunk in size as rocks dropped off of it until Givo and another woman emerged, the latter breaking into a run towards the downed purple-haired woman while the former tumbled along the ground.

"Rio!" the woman worriedly exclaimed again, and Nanoha realized it was the same voice as the one who called that name telepathically earlier.

Nanoha took a short hop over to see how she was doing, the resistance leader's eyes slowly fluttering open after the golem woman knelt and lifted Rio's head into her lap,

"Ow, what hit me?" she complained, and promptly found her head smashed against the brown-haired woman's chest in a fierce hug.

"Don't ever worry me like that again!" the hugger ordered.

"Are you alright?" Nanoha asked, shifting Teana to her other arm as the woman slowly awoke from her brief stint of unconsciousness.

Rio managed to push her face free so she could breathe. "I'm fine, Corona, jeez! Just a little beat-up."

Nanoha couldn't help but smile, and bowed to show her appreciation. "Well, I suppose I owe you my thanks for saving me. Although how you knew I was in trouble..."

Rio waved her off. "We had a spy in Teana's ranks and we've been tracking her movements for some time. When we heard she was planning a trap in this town, we evacuated the people and replaced them with our own while hiding the rest in cellars and such. We've been looking for you for awhile."

Before Nanoha could question that, another voice interrupted, this one distinctly more familiar.

"Rio, I could have told you it was a bad idea to cancel our unison!" came the gruff female rebuff, which caused Nanoha to turn and her eyes to widen.

"Agito!" Nanoha stated in astonishment, noting that the unison device appeared completely unchanged. "You're alive!"

The little demon paused and did a double-take. "Waitaminute... Nanoha! What the hell? I should be the one saying that to you! How the hell are you alive?"

"Nanoha?" Rio wondered aloud as Corona helped her to her feet. "Not the Seikou Jeryhn mentioned? The infamous 'Starlight Destroyer' we've heard so much about?"

"Starlight Destroyer?" Nanoha questioned as she looked around at all the faces staring at her, suddenly realizing one was missing. "Wait, where's Givo?"

x~~*~~x

Wendi woke up to find herself bound, a shadowy form standing over her, blocking the sun. Due to the beating she had taken, she found she lacked the strength to free herself.

"You said that next time I tried to kill someone, I should try to be successful," Givo uttered in a low voice threateningly, letting the knife glint in the reflected sunlight.

The cyborg grit her teeth as she struggled, but the binds were holding. "So what are you waiting for, then? Do it, if you can."

Her would-be executioner's face was strange, but still full of hate and anger as he leaned down and put the knife to her neck. "Like I said before, this is for my mother."

Wendi's eyes widened, realizing that he just might go through with it after all. [Great, so this is how I meet my end; not in battle, but at the hands of a little _human_ boy.]

"Givo," came the single word spoken softly.

"Don't try to stop me!" Givo shouted back at Nanoha. "She killed my mother!"

"I won't stop you," Nanoha told him, causing him to glance up and see the assembled group a few meters away.

"You better stop him, because I'll kill him if he touches her!" Teana demanded angrily, still bound herself.

"And she killed MY MOTHER!" Givo shouted back, hints of tears in his eyes. "She didn't do anything to deserve that! She just tried to live a normal life to provide for me, after your damn Bureau took my father from me! Why the hell didn't you keep her away from my mother? Answer me that!"

"Get over it!" Teana growled. "Death happens to us all, we can't control that!"

"Quiet, both of you!" Nanoha commanded, her voice raising just above a normal speaking tone, but somehow that was more powerful than a shout. "Take a look at what's going on here. The Bureau was responsible for the death of Givo's father, and Wendi was responsible for the death of his mother. So Givo wants to kill Wendi, but if he does, Teana will want to kill him. If she succeeds? Someone will want to kill Teana. And if they succeed, Nove or someone else in the bureau will most likely try to take revenge.

She paused to let that sink in, the crowd now consisting of quite a few resistance members. "And the cycle of revenge and death _never stops_. You always think it will, just this one death and it will all be over; we never think that somewhere, someone will want to kill _us_ because of it. So by ending the life of person today, you will cause others to kill, again and again, and what you end up with is a world of death. Is that what you want?"

Wendi was deathly motionless since she could still feel the knife lightly at her throat, but it seemed to be shaking a bit. Givo's face was still full of anger and hate, but the watery eyes and shaking hands told him he was becoming conflicted.

"But she killed my mother!" Givo repeated in anguish. "She thought nothing of taking lives, so why should I have to be different! She'll just end up killing again! I'd be doing the world a favor!"

"Look at her, Givo," Nanoha beseeched him in a calm voice. "And tell me if you really want to be like her, an executioner. What would your mother and your father want? If someone doesn't make the choice to stop the cycle of killing, _it will never end_. Right now, you can choose to be like her, or be better than her. What do you want?"

Wendi's eyes slammed shut as he young boy screamed and lifted the knife, swinging it down at her again. There was a 'thunk' and she hesitantly opened an eye to note that she was still alive and unharmed, the knife implanted in the dirt next to her face. Givo stood up and kicked her once in anger, then turned and began to walk away while Wendi continued to stare at the blade.

"You better be thankful," Rio told Teana, her voice lacking it's usual humor. "She just saved your sister's life."

x~~*~~x

While Rio turned to give orders to her troops, Nanoha released a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she let the troubled young man go; she debated going after him, but figured it was better to give him some time to come to terms with what had happened. She had to admit, for a moment there, she thought he would go through with it and was pleased he didn't; but that wasn't the only surprise waiting for her.

As Nanoha figured, Rio's group was the resistance Randy once spoke of, and they gave a mighty cheer as Rio announced they had won a major victory today. There were some calls to execute the Enforcers, but only a few from those that didn't hear Nanoha's speech to Givo; it must have been still fresh on the minds of most of the resistance.

Still, Rio explained that they couldn't take them as prisoners and letting them go was a bad idea, but Nanoha offered a compromise; put in the cellars that were still intact and seal them with time-delayed magic. They would be able to escape long after the Nanoha and the rebels were gone. The Enforcers weapons and gear dispensed among the resistance fighters with Rio telling them to scatter and meet back up later.

Before Nanoha would ask what was next, an old military truck that was pulling up drew her attention, but it was the driver that shortly disembarked the vehicle that surprised her most. "Vice-kun!"

"Well I'll be..." Vice replied, taking a full look at her. "I heard it through the communicator, but I didn't think it possible... How? You haven't aged a day!"

"But you've gained a few," she told him, amused, noting the wrinkles on his cheeks. "The beard is new."

He reached up to stroke the full salt-and-pepper brush on his chin, which matched his hair. "It's to be expected. Never could grow one during my time in the service, regulations and all, and I lost access to my anti-aging medical treatments when I left the service, since that's all in Hayate's grasp. But what happened to you? Everyone thought you were dead!"

Nanoha opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Rio. "It'll have to wait for now, we need to get going. We can talk on the way, but I'd like to be miles from here before any reinforcements show up. And Seikou, or Nanoha, or whoever you are, we'd actually like you to come with us; I think we have a lot to talk about."

Vice appeared humbled. "Yeah, sorry about that, I wasn't able to stop Nove."

Corona patted his arm. "It's okay, you did your best. It will take her awhile to get new troops and get back here; we should be long gone by then."

Their transportation was the old military truck with an open-air cab that Vice had driven up in. Teana and Wendi were fitted with blindfolds and physical restraints in addition to the magic binds and loaded into the truck. Rio also snapped some neck ware on the two, explaining that they had liberated these AMF collars several months ago, and they came with small explosives that would detonate if they were removed without the key; the two prisoners got the hint.

Nanoha followed Rio and Agito up into the back of the truck while Corona took the passenger seat, but then she noticed Givo standing off to the side, studying them, seemingly waiting. She wondered again what to do with him, the old argument in her mind coming back; but then she realized she had promised to train him and he might be seeing if she planned to renege on that.

"Would you like to come to?" she asked, addressing him and patting the space beside her.

Rio considered it as Givo's gaze turned to her as if waiting for her response; then she stated evenly, "I suppose we can allow that, if he can keep his hands off my prisoners. If he can promise that, I don't see a problem."

Givo offered his assent, face firm, as he grabbed his pack and leaped into the back of the truck, sitting beside Nanoha, unusually subdued as he offered a "Thank you" then looked up at Nanoha. "So, your name isn't really Seikou?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you. I suppose I should introduce myself properly." She half turned to address everyone. "My real name is Nanoha, but I've been using Seikou so as to not draw attention to myself. It doesn't seem to have worked real well..."

Rio laughed. "You can say that again. Your actions in Organtz have been spreading across the countryside. The story of the woman that defeated an entire squad of Enforcers; Seikou, the infamous Starlight Destroyer! I'm Rio Wesley, as you probably heard, and this is Corona Timil."

"Corona Timil?" the cloned mage questioned, searching her brain. "That name seems familiar somehow."

"I was a classmate of Vivio's, and we became friends, so she might have mentioned me," the soft-spoken brown-haired girl admitted, giving Nanoha yet another surprise. "We attended the Saint Church Magic School."

"You knew Vivio?" she asked, feeling something rise in her chest. "Do you know where she is now?"

Rio and Corona glanced at each other again, hesitating, giving Nanoha the distinct impression they did, and the news wasn't good.

"We don't know where she is," Corona admitted sadly, her gaze dropping into her lap.

"The last time we saw her was 20 years ago," Rio added, leaning back as she closed her eyes. "It was near the end of the Saint Church War..."

x~~*~~x

"The last of my unit is moving into position here," Corona was saying, pointing out a spot on the paper map. "But Vita's army is closing on the southern front over here with twice our numbers at least; intel suggest they'll attack in the morning. It'll be difficult holding out, but we'll manage, somehow."

Rio bit her lip. "If I were to attack during the night, with surprise on our side, I could probably thin their numbers a bit. Just a short surprise raid with a small fraction of my unit."

Corona took the other woman's hand and squeezed it. "No, don't. You're needed on the eastern front; they're monitoring it and if they detect any weakness, they'll attack. And you _know_ Teana will notice. I told you, I'll hold out somehow until Otto and Deed finish their mission and can back me up. We just have to hold out until they get those supplies."

There was silence in the tent as the two women gazed at other, much going unsaid but not unheard, before Rio sighed and turned, punching a nearby box. "Damn this war and the blockade! It all comes down to numbers. They just have more bodies and ships that they can throw at us, since Hayate has been pulling people in from off-world. Lutecia has been working wonders teleporting our units around, but we're still losing ground. And Vivio can't be everywhere."

"No, but I can be here, right now."

The two turned as Corona squealed, "Vivio! When Lutecia teleported us in for this strategy meeting, I was wondering if you were going to show!"

The Saint Kaiser grinned as she entered the tent, letting the flap close behind her to hug her friends. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner, but Hayate's engineers were building another mass teleportation complex on the coast of the East continent, so I had to teach them the error of their ways. Then I noticed her trying to send in a couple of warships against Schach's position and had to take care of them."

As the three longtime friends pulled back, Rio studied the woman's face. "And when was the last time you got some rest?"

Vivio blew out a breath and collapsed into a nearby chair. "Too long. I think I've been up for almost 28 hours now." She pounded the table, probably harder than intended, as it split and collapsed. "Sorry. It's just that I can win almost every battle, and still lose the war. Hayate has the resources of several planets and the fleet to call on, vs. our one continent and limited supply of ships. It's taken her a few years to ramp up her production and operations, but now that she has, it's becoming too much. It's a miracle we've held out this long!"

"You're doing the best you can," Corona soothed, kneeling down beside her friend and squeezing her shoulder. "You can't be everywhere. We'll beat them somehow."

Vivio's eyes closed and she shook her head. "No, I don't think we can."

Rio's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to hear that talk out of you; we have to think positive! Countless worlds are depending on us. If we don't stop Hayate here, then no one can."

Corona exchanged worried glances with Rio as Vivio continued her short-term silence, both wondering if the woman had finally fallen asleep. Then her eyes opened again, belying that assumption.

"There's a reason I only had you two brought here," Vivio explained slowly, her voice heavy. "I had a talk with Carim and she agrees that we can't win. She doesn't want anyone else harmed, so we're going to surrender."

"What!" Rio nearly shouted her astonishment and disapproval. "She can't be serious! After everything we've been through?"

"What did she say?" Corona asked, her tone indicating her more rational nature.

"I can't tell you much, but I'm going to buy time for our armies to disperse first," Vivio told them. "If they go into hiding, or return to their towns, they should be able to avoid facing direct punishment. There will be some hardship after, but Carim assures me she can make sure Hayate doesn't come down too harshly on them. Then Carim will have the Saint Church surrender; she doesn't want a repeat of the Belkan wars that lasted for centuries."

Corona bit her lip, her face revealing a bit of sadness. "Because Saint Olive wished for peace, and that's what Carim believes in above everything else."

"Olive also went to her death," Rio noted, her eyes narrowing. "So what do you mean about 'buying time'?"

Vivio took a deep breath and gazed directly at them. "I'm going to Clanagan. If I create a big enough ruckus and threaten it, Hayate will pull some units off the front lines to reinforce her position, and that will enable some of our armies to disband and hide more easily." She half-smiled. "I've received word my mother is in Clanagan, too. All this time, we've been avoiding each other, almost afraid to face each other in combat, as if that would really confirm we were on different sides. But I can't hide from it anymore; I have to face her."

Rio waved her hands. "Woah, woah, woah! What about the city defenses? We barely managed to survive our one assault against it! And I thought you said Carim foresaw that if you fought your mother, you'd lose? Which is bull, because we know you're stronger."

"She only said I wouldn't win, which at this point, isn't a concern anymore since we're going to surrender," Vivo replied tiredly, rubbing her eyes. "But like I said, I only need to buy time; I won't assault the city directly, but I can threaten it in more ways than one. I need you two to go into hiding, to start a resistance after hostilities have died down; it will be important. There will be people who still want to fight and I need you two to keep them safe."

"What have you told Einhart about this?" Corona questioned, growing concerned.

Vivio shook her head. "She doesn't know, and she won't know, either, until after. I know she won't be happy, but it has to be done because she'd try to stop me. I'm leaving tonight anyway; I only stopped by to say goodbye..." She suddenly surged up and hugged them both. "You're both my precious friends who have been with me as long as I can remember. But now you have to have faith that everything will work out."

"Vivio..." Corona choked, hugging fiercely. "We'll see you again, right? You're not going to throw your life away!"

"You damn well better not die on us," Rio added, wondering why her eyes felt wet all of a sudden. "Or so help me I'll find you in the afterlife and throttle you!"

"Thank you, both of you," she told them. "I'm not sure if I'll see you two again, but I want to tell you how much you mean to me." She released them, tears in her own eyes, but smiling as she quickly wiped them on her sleeve. "But you have to have faith. I can't explain, so you'll just have to trust me."

"_Have faith in the our savior, the Saint, and she shall watch over you,_" Corona quoted. "Book of Garus, chapter 6, verse 8, if I"m not mistaken. We won't give up on you."

Rio chuckled, then turned serious with a slight smile. "We'll see you again, definitely, because you're coming back."

"Thank you, you two," Vivio offered earnestly, turning back towards the tent entrance flap, her fists clenching. "Now I have to go. It's time for me to face Fate."

x~~*~~x

"She never returned," Corona remarked sadly, and Nanoha could tell the other girl's gaze was somewhere else entirely, another day and time. "To this day, we still don't know what exactly happened, and it's been 20 years..."

"She'll return," Rio declared, adamant. "It's all that's keeping the people together, knowing their Saint will return to set them free. There has to be a reason she's not here, and you'll remember Einhart disappeared not too long after while looking for her, so maybe they're together." She fixed Teana with a glare. "Unless Teana Lanster Nakajima here knows and would like to say something?"

The gun mage shrugged, still blindfolded and thus unable to see the glare being directed her way. "I wasn't there, either. All I knew was that Hayate was contacting me, telling me the war was over. Neither Fate, nor Hayate, ever spoke of that day or what happened near Clanagan. There is simply the scar."

Nanoha raised her eyebrow. "Scar?"

"There is a large crater east of Clanagan," Vice explained. "Almost ten kilometers across. Anyone who was around at that time only knows there was a bright flash in the night sky. The military had it cordoned off for years, so it was only in the last ten years or so that normal people could see it."

"I see," Nanoha's head lowered, wondering if her daughter was truly gone, having gave her life to save others. [Like mother, like daughter?] she thought, sadly amused, then found a hand on her knee which she discovered belonged to Rio when she looked up into the other's firm face.

"I'm sure she's alive and is working on something that will save us all," the purple-haired woman offered, adamant. "Vivio wouldn't give up on us, nor just throw her life away. She wasn't like that."

"Thank you, but it's alright," Nanoha replied, patting the other woman's hand, who removed it after. "I'm proud to know that at least Vivio died doing the right thing, if she is dead. She fought for what she believed in, and helped saved many lives. That's more than I could possibly hope for."

At least, that's what she told herself while her hands clenched on her knees, her eyes closing and forcing the pain back. Hope in the form of her daughter had lifted her spirits, only to have it dashed with the prospect of her death. But she had to keep being strong; she couldn't afford to lose it now, as there was still a battle to be fought. However, the singular question remained firmly in her mind.

Where was Vivio, if she was still alive?

x~~*~~x

The screams echoed throughout the room to the tune of crackling electricity, but then the former abated shortly after the latter leaving Schach panting, her vision swimming. If she wasn't hanging from her wrist chains, she'd probably not be upright at all.

"Just tell me what I want to know and this will all be over," Fate soothed. "Just tell me where Carim and Vivio are."

Several moments passed while Schach worked to regain the use of her voice, finding her mouth dry and her throat scratchy when she did manage to speak. "Vivio's... dead. I thought... you'd know that."

"Indeed, for a long time I thought she was," Fate admitted. "But we searched the crater thoroughly afterward, and there was no body. While it's possible she was vaporized, I doubt that; you and I both know how tough she was. We did, however, find traces of red crystal embedded in the rocks."

Schach managed to raise her head, confusion on her face. "So... what?"

"It was a relic, like the one Vivio was using," Fate told her pointedly. "It ejects to save the life of the user. If Vivio was vaporized, there would be no trace of it. She is alive and I want to know why, where she is, and what she's up to."

"I honestly... didn't know... Carim never... told me," Schach managed to reply between breaths. "What will you... do if you.. find her?"

"I honestly don't know, either," Fate confessed, surprising the combat nun. "I'm not happy about how things ended between us, but she is an enemy of the state and I can't let my personal feelings sway me. I do, however, believe you on one point; Carim probably never told you about Vivio just for situations like this. So you're going to tell me where _she_ is, so I can ask her nicely instead."

Before Schach could reply, Fate jabbed the end of Bardiche into her, sending shock waves of electricity throughout her body again, muscles undergoing spasms as Schach contorted and screamed. Again, Fate released it after a full minute, then lifted a bottle of water to Schach's lips and the sister drank as best as she could with what little control over her lips she had, the rest dribbling down her chin and chest.

"What kind of... mother are you?" Schach managed at last, panting when the bottle was removed. "What would... Vivio think of you now?"

Fate's face contorted as anger seized a firm hold on her emotions, and Bardiche was once more jabbed into Schach's side. But this time, Fate didn't let up for several minutes.

"Don't you DARE ask me something like that!" Fate snarled, her eyes flaring as she removed her weapon and created another pause. "I can and will keep this up all day, and don't think death will save you; this particular spell only stimulates your pain receptors, so it's not doing any damage to your body."

Schach lowered her head, trying to hide the tears that were finally leaking out of her eyes as she visualized the pain continuing, day after day. [I can't... I can't...]

"What was that?" Fate asked, leaning closer, reaching up to gently stroke Schach's cheek, the latter not even realizing she had whispered her last thought as the tears continued to flow. "You can tell me. All you have to do is tell me one thing. One simple thing, and this will all be over."

In a voice slightly above a whisper, the tortured sister sobbed out a location.

Fate reached up to lightly brush Scach's bangs out of her face. "Thank you. You did the right thing. You can rest and relax now."

She then turned and strode out of the room. Shortly thereafter, two Enforcers entered to take her down and carry her back to her cell, but Schach's disconcerted and conscience-stricken mind was elsewhere.

[Why, Carim?] she wondered, confused. [Why did you ask me to get caught? Why did you want me to tell them where you were? What possible reason could that serve?]

As she was returned to her cell, but before she passed out, she realized that she would just have to have faith in her old friend. And in the Saint.

x~~*~~x

As soon as the door to her private quarters shut, Fate locked it, her eyes closing almost immediately.

_"You can't beat me, mama!" Vivio told her, defiant. "Please, stop this! Let's not hurt anyone else anymore!"_

_Fate slowly got to her feet, wiping the blood from her lip. "Even if we choose not to, we both know the fundamentalists will continue to terrorize and hurt innocent people. How can you choose to be a party to that!"_

_"Did you ever think why they strike back like they do?" she asked. "We interfere in their lives and enforce our ways on them, in the name of peace, democracy, and security, but have we ever considered what the people want? That maybe the loss of freedoms isn't worth the price to be kept secure?"_

_"I can't believe you'd ask me that, after what happened to your grandmother," Fate shot back. "If we had more security, my mother, your grandmother, would still be alive! The people themselves want us to keep them safe!"_

_Vivio's gaze dropped as the words hit home, but she shook her head. "I won't ever forget that, but if neither side is willing to give, this will continue forever. For everyone, I have to stop you and Hayate here and now."_

_Fate grit her teeth as Vivio's magic triangle flared under her feet, indicating the resumption of the battle. "And for sake of everyone on Mid-Childa, I have to stop the Church... and you."_

_As she gripped Bardiche's shaft tightly, she wondered how she was supposed to stop her daughter without killing her, coming to the sad conclusion that there was probably no way to do that. The two charged each other, clashing once more._

Fate slowly pounded the wall behind her with a clenched fist as she recalled the painful memories; ones she knew she'd have to get over, if she was going to face Vivio again. There was too much between them that they had to work out, one way or another.

_"ARF!" Fate cried, wondering where the hell her familiar had come from._

_Vivio withdrew her fist slowly, staring in shock, her hand shaking. "Mama, I didn't mean to..."_

_Arf gazed back at the bound Fate, whom she had just taken that attack for. "If you die, I die. And I can't allow you to die. As I promised you so long ago, I'll do whatever it takes to protect and serve you, so that you can live." She smiled. "And it's okay, because I would have died long ago if not for you. This body is only magic, which I can now return to you."_

_"Arf, NO!" Fate shouted as she broke her binds, catching the dissolving familiar as she disappeared in an expanding cloud of red sparkles._

_"Live," Arf's fading voice echoed again. "I'll always be a part of you..."_

_"Mama..." Vivio uttered, her voice quavering._

_But Fate's eyes were angry, conflicted, as she brought her head rose to glare at her adversary. "Shut up."_

It was only luck, and a bit of a skill that she managed to survive, but she had been wondering if that's what Vivio's plan was all along; to fake her death. If she was alive, she was the greatest threat to the Bureau, not only as a mage, but as a symbol of the Saint Church.

_"Fate, can you hear me?" came a familiar male voice in her ear communicator._

_"Chrono?" Fate replied in surprise._

_"I'm above your position in my ship, which Vivio did quite a number on," he informed her. "I've come up with a plan. My main weapon is mostly charged, although the firing mechanism is currently disabled. If we don't stop her here and now..."_

_Fate's eyes widened as he explained the plan, then gave her short response. "I'll do it."_

_In the next clash, Fate put everything she had into a lighting bind, following by a electrified cage and a golden sphere barrier._

_"This won't work, mama," Vivio told her as she worked on breaking them. "At best, this will only buy you a little time."_

_But Fate stood her ground, continuing to reapply binds as they broke, smiling sadly. "A little time is all I need."_

_That's when Vivio glanced up to see the ship descending on them, white magical energy crackling between the forward prongs, heading straight for them._

_"NOW FATE!" Chrono commanded, and the Head Enforcer poured her remaining magical reserves into a Sonic Move, the longest and fastest one she had ever maintained, just barely escaping the massive explosion that followed._

And it was only later that she learned that Chrono had been on that damaged ship, piloting it to the last moment to ensure it stayed on course. In a single day, she had lost her daughter, her familiar, and her brother.

"I will do whatever it takes to make their deaths have meaning," Fate tried to convince herself. "I won't let another war consume the planet."

She slid down the wall into a sitting position, crossing her arms over her knees as she drew them up to her chest, cursing the church that turned her daughter against her, and thus caused all this pain and suffering; it was all their fault.

Fate buried her face in her arms, her eyes dry, staying that way for some time.

x~~*~~x

"...and so I believe them to currently be in enemy hands," Nove was explaining from the main holographic screen. "If I could get some additional forces, I know I can track them down and-"

"Return to Clanagan, Nove," Hayate ordered, cutting the other woman off.

"But, Teana and Wendi-" Nove started to protest.

"Return to Clanagan, that's an order," Hayate repeated. "We will deal with this."

The redhead on the screen appeared sullen. "Yes, sir."

"Well, well," Quattro intoned from her corner as Nove signed off. "Quite a pickle, eh, your majesty?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Hayate shot at her darkly.

Quattro shrugged. "Well, you are the ruler, so it is a proper title... your majesty." She allowed a brief grin to show at Hayate's non-amusement, then continued. "Still, would you like me to handle this? My new toys are about to be completed, and they could use a proper field test."

"No, I have something else in mind, and my orders for you to not leave the city still stand," the Supreme Commander informed her cyborg subordinate. "Leave us."

"Are you sure?" Quattro asked. "It wouldn't take much-"

"Do we have to repeat things to everyone around here!" Hayate demanded, her words carrying a mix of both hers and Rein's tones momentarily. "Leave!"

Quattro sighed, but headed for the door, hearing a last line from Hayate addressing the command center technicians before the door closed. "Put me through to Generals Signum and Vita..."

The #4 cyborg allowed a small smile to appear on her face as the door swished closed, allowing a bit of a merry prance in her step as she strolled down the darkened corridor, before pausing at a seemingly random location. "Everything is going just as you predicted, sister."

A female voice from the shadows responded, sounding pleased.. "Of course it is. Have you prepared things on your end?"

A lazy grin appeared on Quattro's face, even while her tone indicated a bit of indignation. "Oh, but of course! And our guest should arrive within the day." She turned slightly, glancing over her shoulder. "So, shouldn't you get back to properly greet her, 'Dieci'?"

The figure in the shadow leaned forward, revealing the maliciously smiling face of Dieci Nakajima.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I'm a real bastard, aren't I? :)


	11. Faith

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 11: Faith**

Xx~~*~~xX

"So you're not really Nanoha?" Agito questioned, and the cloned mage couldn't help but notice the little demon had spent the entire ride so far in Rio's lap.

Nanoha shook her head as Vice steadily drove the truck along the dusty road, having just finished relating her story after learning a bit about them; that they were the resistance group, but fairly small and most days they just worked to stay hidden and get intelligence. Only once or twice a year would they act by carrying out a small raid or some minor sabotage, while waiting for a good opportunity to do more; such a one had just happened, and thus they'd upped the stakes considerably.

"Well, as a clone, I certainly feel like Nanoha, but the one you knew died years ago," she clarified. "To what purpose Jail cloned me, I still don't know. All I have is this, which I told you about." She brought the amulet out of her shirt, from where it was hanging around her neck.

"Can I see it?" Corona offered politely, reaching out her hand, and Nanoha gave it to her.

Nanoha's curiosity was plainly evident while she watched while Corona study the amulet in turn. "Can you fix it?"

Rio grinned. "Corona can fix anything!"

Said girl reddened a bit at the praise as she turned the amulet over in her hand. "I'm not sure, but it's possible, once I get back to my workshop. It appears to be a standard holographic storage device, so I should have the proper tools and spare parts. But I can't guarantee any data recovery without closer examination."

Nanoha let her keep it for now, trusting the woman to see if she could fix it as the truck continued to rumble along the worn dirt road. But her spirit was low and her mind was mostly elsewhere, having finally realized something, what had made her continue on instead of giving up.

It was her desire to see Vivio again, a tiny spark of hope in the darkness that continued to push her forward; that somehow, if she could see her daughter, everything would be okay. Her thoughts and feelings before she died, were that she wanted was a world where Vivio could grow up happy, but the current situation and Rio and Corona's earlier words made her doubt if even that was possible, so what was she left with?

Thus her hope had diminished and left her feeling emptier, the only remaining shards with the amulet. But if the coordinates couldn't be retrieved, she'd truly be at a loss as to what to do; she was a woman out of her element in all senses of the word.

_Just what am I doing here?_

x~~*~~x

"So, how long you plan to keep us in here?" Wendi demanded to know, her ankles re-bound bound as she was locked in her cell. "Or do you plan to give us a showy execution?"

It was several hours later when they finally arrived, the dusty road having gained elevation as it wound through the foothills and entered a cave that closed behind them. After a short trip through the tunnel, they disembarked and escorted the prisoners to their jail cells, which Nanoha got the impression weren't used too much. Still, several resistance fighters were assigned as guards while the two were secured.

Rio shrugged. "To be honest, we're still thinking about that. I'll have to talk to the others to see what we're gonna do with you, and we'll determine which has more value: your life, or your death."

"Unless they want to change sides," Nanoha tactfully suggested after thinking a moment.

"Ha!" Teana barked, then shook her head. "You know, in my mind, I used to always see you as this paragon of truth and justice who could do anything just by trying hard and thinking positive; I believed in you! But now whenever I hear your idealistic drivel, I wonder how it was that I could be so naive, and wonder how you can stand to live like that."

"Did the loss of Subaru really change you this much?" Nanoha questioned, a hint of sorrow in her voice. "The Teana I knew was a girl who wasn't one to give up. She wanted so badly to prove the worth of a Lanster mage, and to protect those she cared about."

"You don't know anything," the gun mage accused. "Even after Subaru died, I kept on trying it your way; I even argued against Hayate's stricter security measures for awhile. But it didn't change anything! After Genya had adopted me and the Nakajima family became my support, I felt that Hayate's approach was wrong; but all that changed right before the war. Tensions between the Bureau and the church were already degrading, and there were even some scuffles along with the protests. But dad, along with Ginga, still tried their best to support Hayate, despite feeling differently. They, along with Lindy, organized a peace conference with the church to work out differences. Then again, apparently you can't barter for peace with terrorists."

Nanoha sat down in one of the chairs. "What happened?"

Vice leaned back against a wall and crossed his arms across his chest, head bowed with eyes closed. "She's talking about 8/10; a day that will live in infamy."

"While most in the church wanted to work things out, there were some radicals that didn't feel peace was possible as long as Hayate was in charge," Rio explained, unusually somber. "She was the very visible face of the Bureau's increased militarization, reduction of civil liberties and freedoms in the name of security, and the 'world-building' policy that she had instituted; a fancy name for invading a planet and rebuilding its government to be friendlier to the Bureau. General Genya Nakajima and Admiral Lindy Harlaown were two of her biggest supporters, and I guess the radicals wanted to send Hayate a message."

Nanoha's gut had grown distinctly colder, and while she could probably guess at what might have happened, she needed to hear it from them. "They attacked the peace conference?"

"They blew it up," Vice nearly growled. "August 10th, 0095. It was an inside job; someone had smuggled a powerful explosive in, non-magical. I was still with the Bureau then, and that's all any of us knew, though I get the impression there was a bit more intel that the upper brass didn't share with us. There were very few survivors."

"But not dad or Ginga," Teana added bitterly. "So much for idealism."

"However, it did drive Hayate into declaring martial law on Mid-Childa, including the Saint Church territories in the northern continent," Rio continued. "She was determined to bring the terrorist cells to justice, to protect Mid-Childa from further acts of violence. While they initially cooperated to bring those responsible to justice, the occupation of the Saint Church areas didn't end, nor did martial law. Hayate said it was for the good of all, to maintain the peace. Carim and the Church objected to that, especially after the degradation of civil rights that followed. Hayate declared that she needed to be able to search people or homes, or tap in on private communications, on a moment's notice, in order act quickly on terrorist threats. While most on Mid-Childa accepted it, the Saint Church did not, which eventually led to the 5-year war a few years later."

"But ever since we won the war, we've had peace and security," Teana countered proudly. "I realized Hayate was right. It may not be perfect, but people are safe, and we're bringing peace to planets with conflict as well. That's how you deal with reality, by firmly confronting it on its own terms. That's the only thing fundamentalist terrorists like Rio here understand. Idealistic nonsense doesn't work!"

Nanoha stared at her, unable to speak. She wanted to tell her otherwise, but Teana had been through hell, losing so many people she cared about, that there didn't seem to be a possibility that the woman would change her mind. And there was the fact that Nanoha's own experiences since she woke up indicated Teana and Hayate's way might very well be correct. Was she on the wrong side this entire time? Had she just gotten lucky before with everyone coming through alright, and thus didn't have to face reality?

Rio was about to respond, but suddenly put her hand to her ear. "Go ahead... yes... alright, I'll be there in a moment." She lowered her hand again and looked around. "We'll deal with this later. Vice, Agito, can you can show Nanoha and Givo around while I take care of something? I also need to talk to the other resistance leaders about what we're gonna do with our guests here."

Nanoha numbly followed Vice out, barely aware of Agito floating next to her.

x~~*~~x

The two knights dropped to one knee upon entering.

"Generals Signum and Vita reporting as ordered," Signuma stated, head bowed.

Hayate smiled as stood up from her command chair, crossing the short distance to pull them back to their feet and then hugging them. "You two don't have to do that. You're family to us!"

"But it is not proper given our ranks and location," Signum intoned, uncomfortable but unresisting.

"We were a bit surprised you called us back, though," Vita added,

"An important mission," Hayate stated as she released them, her face turning serious while she called up screens, noting her knights eye's widening slightly as they beheld the figure displayed. "No, what you're seeing is real. Jail created a Nanoha clone for a reason we still haven't been able to discover. Teana and her sisters recently failed to stop her, so we need you two to do it. You're the only ones left that I know are strong enough to do it. Don't be fooled by her appearance at all; she's dangerous, as Teana learned."

"How much trouble can one clone cause?" Vita questioned. "Regardless of what Jail may have done, she's only one person. And it's Nanoha; how much like the original is she? Can't we talk to her?"

"Never underestimate Jail," Hayate told them, serious. "That's who we are dealing with; we can't really be sure how much of Nanoha is really there, or whether it's an act. I allowed my guard to lapse and he sprung this on us, so you can bet whatever he has planned, it isn't good for us. No, we need to shut this down ASAP, then you can return to your previous mission. Our sources indicate she's linked up with the resistance, which isn't good, but Rio has been a pain for a long time now so I suppose it's about time we dealt with them as well."

"So we are to kill them," Signum clarified, her expression unchanging.

"Crush them, totally," Hayate confirmed, nodding. "Mariel finally got the planetary drone network up, so you'll have that available. However, the old drones are still being retrieved and reprogrammed, and we don't have too many new ones yet."

Signum bowed her head and turned to leave, but paused to glance over her shoulder. "Vita?"

The short hammer knight was still studying the screen shot of the Nanoha clone. "It doesn't feel right somehow. I know you can do it, but I still remember fighting her before. If she's really like Nanoha, shouldn't we attempt to just capture her and find out what's going on?"

"That is what I assume Jail was counting on, as a way to protect her," Hayate informed her. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but you have to know the real Nanoha would never want to be a pawn of Jail; she wouldn't want her appearance and personality used to further his ends. I know it will be tough, but don't let the physical appearance of Jail's clone cause you to hesitate." She paused and bit her lip. "If, and I stress this as an 'if'... If you can be absolutely sure of capturing her safely and finding out what Jail is up to, you can consider it, but Teana underestimated her and is now their prisoner. At the least, you know what Rio's group is capable of."

Vita continued to gaze at the picture of Nanoha, then sighed. "I understand, I believe you; I'm just a bit uneasy about this." She turned to join the other Knight General, her discomfort physically obvious. "Let's get this over with."

x~~*~~x

"I'm gonna look around by myself, okay?" Givo stated out of the blue, hanging back from the rest of the group.

Vice shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with that. Just be careful you don't try to leave or head into any sensitive areas. We've lasted this long by being careful, and the others might not be too trusting of you yet."

He nodded and took off, waving to Nanoha as she waved back. She couldn't blame him for wanting to be alone, as he probably still had issues to sort out and needed time and space to do that.

"Alright, follow me, there's someone who I want you to meet," Vice declared with a small smile, his eyes glinting mysteriously as the trio resuming their trek. "And I can point out a few things on the way."

Nanoha glanced around at the gigantic underground cavern, dozens of workers engaged in various activities on several levels. "It is impressive."

"This was one of the few remaining bases left undiscovered after the war," Agito declared. "It was sealed before the surrender, and only a very few knew about it back then. Rio opened it later when she started up the resistance. But we really only have about 50 people; recruitment has been hard."

Before Nanoha could ask another question, a trio of soldiers passed by, giving them dark looks. At first Nanoha thought they were looking at her, but then she realized their scowls were directed at Agito. The little demon tried to pretend that she didn't see it, but the slight tightening around her jaw made Nanoha think otherwise.

"What was that about?" Nanoha questioned after the three had left.

Vice glanced at Agito, who shrugged then turned to Nanoha. "Can I unison with you?"

The request caught her off guard, but she nodded, and the two fused; Nanoha had never unisoned before, and the situation was odd, but a bit warming.

"[Thanks, it's easier this way,]" came the thoughts from inside. "[They'd be able to tell if I was unisoned with Vice due to the color changes, but you're new, so I can hide. I joined the resistance a few years after the war, and not many see me in a good light. If it weren't for Rio vouching for me, I'd probably be tossed out or worse.]"

"[You did a lot of fighting for Hayate?]" Nanoha asked gently, getting a very distinct sense of regret from inside; apparently unison allowed a more direct relation of emotions as well.

"[Yeah, when I was with Signum, back when I still believed Hayate was doing the right thing,]" Agito replied softly. "[It's not something I'm proud of now, to really see how far off track from Zest's ideal I allowed myself to drift. Look, if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about that right now.]"

Nanoha respected her space as Vice led her out of the cavern and through a few corridors, weaving through the complex. He pointed out to her the living quarters, their hydroponic labs where they grew much of their food, and the training areas. The mountain's walls were rather thick, so it was difficult to detect any magic being performed within, which allowed them to hone their skills without worry.

"[Pardon me for saying,]" Agito stated, in a manner that was more polite that Nanoha was used to from the little demon. "[But are you okay? I can't help but feel you're a bit troubled.]"

Nanoha inwardly sighed; that was quite an understatement, but probably much like Agito, she didn't feel much like sharing at the moment except for perhaps one thing. "[Agito, how deep can you look into my mind? Can you tell if someone has subconscious programming if you're in unison like this?]"

"[It's possible,]" she replied slowly, thinking. "[But it's also possible I could miss something, too. The deeper you let me go, the more I can scan. Are you worried Jail put something in here?]"

Nanoha thought about that, all the thoughts and feelings she was holding back, weighing them against the possibility of subconscious programming. "[A bit. I mean, he seemed like he was honestly trying to do the right thing, or at least overthrow Hayate, and Uno seemed to think whatever I needed to do, I needed to be Nanoha to do it. Any programming might get in the way of that. But still...]"

She felt Agito nod. "[It has you worried. Well, I can't promise anything, but when you want me to look, I will.]"

"[Thanks,]" Nanoha replied, grateful, keeping that in mind, but saving it for another time as they apparently arrived at the location her guide was leading them to.

"Well, here we are!" Vice declared, breaking her out of her thoughts as he opened a rather large door. "Hey, I'm home!"

"Well, it's about time!" an older woman's voice snapped back, causing Nanoha to glance around the small cavern, about the size of a hanger, for the voice's owner.

The main attention-grabber was the rather large shuttle parked in the center, with various junk, spare parts, and tools littering the area. A small shack against the rock wall to the side, lights shining from within, giving it the appearance of a humble home that she assumed to be Vice's. However, the main curiosity was to be found when she followed the older man's gaze, now noticing the lower half of a body protruding from from one of the open panels on the shuttle's side, clad in a faded-tan jumpsuit.

[Could she be...?] Nanoha began to wonder as Agito canceled the unison, but only got a grin from the little demon.

"Hand me the wrench," she demanded, showcasing a hand.

"There's time for that later, dear, I have a visitor you'll want to see," he replied, amusement in his voice as the trio came up behind the female mechanic.

The woman promptly pulled her body out of the panel and turned around, grease patches on her face as she blinked. "Is that who I think it is?" She leaned closer, studying. "Nanoha?"

The cloned mage, who had been wracking her mind for the other woman's identity, finally hit upon an answer. "Alto?"

"It is you!" the latter declared in surprise, planting dirty hands on Nanoha's shoulders. "Hair's short, eyes are little bluer, but land sakes, it's like you haven't aged a day!"

"That's what I said," Vice added, amused. "She's apparently a clone, but has all Nanoha's memories up until close to her death. Jail cloned her, but we don't know why."

"Huh, well, you're just in time!" Alto declared, smiling and wiping her face with her jumpsuit sleeve. "I was about to start dinner and you are going to eat with us, of course! Agito, you too. You can also meet our son!"

Nanoha glanced back and forth between the two. "So you two are married?"

"Ever since 0086, a couple of years before Hayate officially became Supreme Commander of the Bureau," Alto answered. "Took this oaf awhile to finally propose." She rolled her eyes. "Men and their fear of commitment."

Vice actually blushed a bit, though chuckled along with Agito.

Alto grabbed Nanoha's hands and began tugging her towards the shack. "But come on in! We have a lot to talk about..."

x~~*~~x

Givo finished munching his granola bar that he had purchased in Farhaven as he wandered amongst the living quarters area, which mostly consisted of small shacks and tents with a few side caves that were covered by curtains. It reminded him of a ghetto, nothing at all like Organtz, and made him wonder how people could live like this. Most paid him no heed, for which he was grateful; he didn't feel like explaining himself.

After wandering awhile, wondering where he was even going, the sound of music drifted on the breeze and he found himself compelled to follow it, ending up in front of a pair of open doors into one of the small caves. He strolled in, the few pews and organ music identifying it as a small church, with a silver statue on the altar up front in the form of a woman he didn't recognize.

He took a few more steps inside, finding the atmosphere calming, somehow, when an older female voice addressed him. "Feel free to come in and stay awhile, young man."

"Who are you?" he asked, finding the speaker in a robes seated in a darkened corner to the right of the altar.

"They simply call me Sister Rubella, and I maintain this modest church and assist people," she replied, standing. "Something tells me you have many things on your mind, and this is as good a place as any for some thoughtful meditation. Perhaps I can be of some modest help?"

"Doubt you can help me," he told her succinctly. "Unless you can help me kill some people."

To his surprise, she laughed. "No, though the church does have combat nuns, I am not one of them. Why would you want to kill people?"

For some reason, he felt compelled to tell her his story, and thus ended up in the front pew with her sitting next to him as he finished. It actually felt good to tell someone, but he wasn't sure why; his conflict still remained.

"Well, the Saint has a path for each of us in life, and it's not always easy to follow, or even to see sometimes," she admitted. "Whether yours is to take revenge, or something else, I can't say. But if you spend time looking within yourself, I'm sure you'll find what you are really looking for."

"I'd rather have my mom and dad back," he uttered darkly, then sighed.

Rubella suddenly appeared very sad, but she patted his knee and smiled. "Yes, these are harsh times, with much death. I know some in my order prefer to fight, but I feel it would be better for everyone if they did not. The only one who can save us is the Saint, and she'll return when the time is right. Until then, why can't we just live in peace and keep death to minimum? Why must we continue to struggle and bring disharmony?"

Givo barked out a laugh. "Yeah, right."

She patted his knee again, then stood up. "Well, think on it, and I have faith you'll make the right decision. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something to do, but feel free to stay as long as you like."

Givo watched her shuffle off, but his thoughts were no clearer.

x~~*~~x

A fist was slammed against the wall, as the new arrival entered the Nakajima home. "Damn it!"

"Nove, is that you?" Dieci called from the living room.

"Yeah, it's me," the redheaded cyborg replied, heading further inside to find her sister sitting on the couch, reading a book. "How are you doing?"

"I am fine," Dieci answered in a flat tone, then blinked as she looked behind Nove. "Where are Teana and Wendi? Are they still on assignment?"

Nove dropped to her knees in front of her sister, laying her head on the other's lap, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry! We failed, and Teana and Wendi were captured. And I couldn't do anything about it!"

Dieci set her book down and reached out to stroke the redhead's hair. "I am sure you did all you could. What are the rescue plans? Would you like my assistance?"

Nove's eyes widened as she recalled the times Dieci had tried to show she was combat ready; her reaction times were considerably slower and she wasn't as accurate with her weapon as she used to be. All indications were that she'd get herself killed, or someone on her own side, if she attempted to enter combat again.

Her head came up. "No, that's okay, you just stay here, okay? Hayate has put someone else in charge of the rescue. I'm to see to the defense of Clanagan, although I know it's a punishment. Hayate just wants to keep me here because I failed."

"Then I must go, since you cannot," Dieci stated, rising from the couch. "Let me go retrieve Glory Star."

Nove leapt to her feet, grabbing Dieci's arm to prevent her sister from going for her device. "No! It's okay, really! I'm sure whoever Hayate is sending will get them back safe and sound."

"But you cannot be sure of that," her handicapped sister countered, showcasing a bit of the old Dieci. "I have often heard you three say that you weren't sure if Hayate had your best interests at heart, and that we could only ever count on each other. So since you cannot disobey Hayate, it is only logical that I go."

Nove felt her heart climb into her throat; as logical as Dieci's words were, she couldn't let this happen. "No, wait, I'll-" She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing, and sighed in frustration, putting her hand up to forestall her sister while she headed to the front door. "Just wait, okay?"

And was completely surprised to see Quattro standing there when she opened it, who smiled and waved. "Hello!"

"What are you you doing here!" Nove nearly shouted, the #4 cyborg being almost the last person she expected to see.

"I know, we haven't been very close, but we are, after all, cyborgs and sisters," Quattro offered, almost sincere enough for Nove to believe it. "I heard about Wendi and Teana, and I just wanted to offer my condolences. We sisters have to stick together!"

"Uh huh, right," Nove returned, eyes half-lidded. "So what are you doing here?"

Quattro bit her lip, glancing around a bit, then leaned in to whisper, "Can I come in? It will only be for a minute."

Nove sighed and stepped back, gesturing, and her visitor entered, the door automatically closing behind her. "Now what is it? And make it quick."

"Well, I was concerned, because I am not sure Hayate will make efforts to retrieve our sisters alive," Quattro admitted. "She's more concerned with stopping that clone and the resistance, and doesn't care if Teana or Wendi get caught in the crossfire."

"You sold out Jail, Uno, Tre, and Sette," Nove stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why should I believe this sudden concern?"

Quattro sighed. "You're right, I did. And you do know me too well. I sold them out because they were on the wrong side and wouldn't change. Hayate has the power, and that's what I crave, even though she doesn't trust me. But I have precious few allies and so... I might be able to help you get your sisters back."

Nove raised an eyebrow. "So you want to do us a favor in the hopes we'll side with you? Or that we'll repay the favor down the line?"

She nodded. "Something like that. I can't do everything alone, and I'd rather trust my cyborg sisters than human mages." She reached into her cloak and brought out a few objects. "And I can help you rescue them. I can't leave the city myself, since Hayate would notice, but I can get you out and cover for you, and I have recently obtained intelligence that details the location of the resistance hideout."

Nove eyed the objects, realized that she wasn't much of a strategist, thought about Dieci in the other room, and finally sighed; she didn't like it, but she was going to have trust the #4 cyborg. "Alright, tell me what you have in mind."

Quattro slowly smiled.

x~~*~~x

"Thank you, Agito, I'll be fine here for awhile," Nanoha stated, giving a short bow.

The little demon waved as she floated away. "Ah, I'll come get you later, but I have to meet up with Rio now!"

Nanoha turned and entered the small church, her breath catching in her throat as she beheld the statute; the form was a bit older, but there was no doubt it was Vivio. She clutched her right hand to her chest for a few moments, studying the statue, almost wondering if it would come alive and she'd be reunited with her daughter.

The dinner with the Granseic's and Agito was good as they got caught up on old times, and she met their son, Amos, a man in his late thirties who was a sharpshooter like his father. The atmosphere was light, almost festive, and for a moment Nanoha forgot her troubles. But they came back afterward and she still had a lot on her mind, so she had asked Agito if there was someplace quiet she could reflect alone for a bit. The little demon recommended the church, even though she herself tended to stay away from it, not really caring for the religion. But she admitted it had seemed to help Rio quite a bit, so maybe it could do something for Nanoha.

However, Nanoha didn't quite expect to see a statue of her daughter, though in hindsight she probably should have.

"Oh, hello, did you come for the same reason as me?" she inquired, suddenly realizing she wasn't alone when she noticed the smaller form sitting in the front pew.

"Maybe, why are you here?" Givo replied as he partially turned in his seat to look at her, surprising her with who it was. The hate and anger in his eyes seem to have been mostly replaced by tiredness, which was a small step in a better direction at least.

"I have a lot on my mind, and I had to see someone," Nanoha replied cryptically, smiling at his confused gaze, then walked up and sat down next to him. "I already told you that I'm the clone of someone who died a long time ago, right?" His look told her he remembered, and still found it a strange concept. "But I still remember being _her_, I have all of her memories, or most of them anyway, and so that makes me wonder who _I_ am supposed to be. Am I Nanoha? Or someone else? Because I feel like her, like I've just went to sleep and woke up in a world where so many I used to know or dead, and the rest have changed so much.

It was as if a switch had been flipped and the floodgates that were holding so much back suddenly burst forth, her eyes beginning to water. "My best friends have turned this world upside-down, my daughter is most likely dead, and people are counting on me to do something about all of this, but I don't know what!

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, but that didn't seem to help much. "I used to think that just by thinking positive and trying to do what was right, that everything would always turn out okay. But apparently I gave my life for nothing and that approach doesn't work anymore, which makes me wonder if I have just ignored reality all this time. I just don't know what to do! I watched Randy die, and Uno, and your mother, and I'm so sorry; if I had killed her you'd still have your mother and I... and I... feel so guilty about that..."

Her gaze lowered from the statue into her lap as she sniffled, the tears kept coming. There was so much she wanted to say, her heart was so heavy, and yet she didn't know what else to say. She could sense Givo's confused eyes staring at her out of the corner of her eye, but she didn't care anymore, the overwhelming feelings that she had been holding up for so long finally came down, crushing her with their weight. She covered her eyes with her hands, and for several minutes, the only sounds were the soft organ music and Nanoha's faint sobs.

"I don't hate you so much anymore," Givo admitted slowly, shifting a bit uncomfortably with the crying woman right next to him. "I mean, I really hated Wendi, because of how much pain she made me feel, and part of that passed to you, because you let her go. You stayed with us awhile, and I got to know you, and it just felt like betrayal. I wanted you both to feel the pain I was, but... hearing you say that like this, somehow doesn't make me really dislike you anymore; just her..."

He stood up finally and stepped a bit closer to the alter, punching the ground in anger. "But my revenge was all I had, so now what! I still feel angry! I still want to kill that other girl, but I don't know if I can now, or even what it would do for me! If I don't have that, what am I supposed to do? A nun that was here a short time ago told me to have faith in the Saint, but how can I have faith in someone I've never met? What's she supposed to do for me? How is she supposed to make me feel any better?"

Nanoha raised her head from her hands, bewildered as she gazed at Givo, twin streams trailing down her red cheeks; memories of a young girl flashed through her mind, which caused her lips slightly curve upwards into a slight smile. "I think she just does. When she came into my life, I didn't expect to receive the happiness I did. It was as if I finally felt complete."

He pivoted to stare at her. "You believe in this religious stuff? It actually does something for you? Because I still don't get it."

Nanoha gazed upwards at the statue. "In a way, perhaps I do. I've never really been a religious person, but those who are, aren't much different than you or I. It's about believing in something or someone, trusting and having faith that somehow things will work out for the better even if we can't see it right now." She paused, realizing how much she had believed in those words, which was the crux of her issues here and now, speaking her next words with a kind of sad realization. "Because sometimes, that's all we have to go on."

Givo turned back to study the statue. "Well, whoever this was, it must have been some person to get so many people to trust her."

Nanoha's smile grew a bit more in amusment as her eyes began to dry and she stood up. "She was, and still is. From what I know of her, the Saint always did her best, and wasn't afraid to make the sacrifices needed for others. If there's anyone you can trust, it would be her. I think I'll put my trust in her, too."

"Well, I still don't get it," Givo declared, scratching his head. "I- Hey!"

Nanoha had dropped to her knees, and enveloped the young preteen in a tight hug. "Thank you."

"For what?" Givo questioned, squirming, but tolerating it.

Nanoha noted the name at the base of the statue: Saint Olive. [Olive, not Vivio,] she realized, noting that the statue still looked so much like Vivio's adult form. [A statue of a dead woman who is not Vivio, which means she has to still be alive.]

She smiled at her slightly twisted logic, choosing to believe in that as she squeezed him once. "For helping me find my hope again."

x~~*~~x

"You look like crap," Agito noted tactfully as she floated into Rio and Corona's quarters.

The owner of the room was currently collapsed into her comfy chair, staring at the ceiling. "Tell me about it. I just got off the line with the other group leaders. They weren't pleased about Nanoha and my confrontation with Teana; they feel I took a too big of a risk, that I'll bring down the wrath of the Bureau." She laughed. "They're probably right. Still, they plan to arrive tomorrow to interrogate my prisoners, per our agreement, and decide what to do about Nanoha."

"Hell, what do they know?" Agito growled, alighting in Rio's lap. "You've had more success than all of them put together. But enough about that; what did you want to show me?"

Rio's head came up and she half-smiled at the little demon, revealing the small data pad in her hand. "We got a message from Earth not too long ago, and it was finally decrypted. Let me show you."

Agito's eyes widened as Rio activated it and placed it in her lap she her friend could view it. "Is this from who I think it is? We haven't heard from them in almost two years!"

"Heya guys, sorry it took so long, but things have been a bit rough here," Karel said, his smiling face appearing on screen as he laughed. "Ever since Hayate's blitzkrieg took control of the major nations. A couple of years ago. Back then, that's all we could announce before the communications blackout, but due to strange circumstances, we were able to stage this raid on a communication center and get this message out. Hope it gets to you."

A small smile appeared on Agito's face; she had never met the man, but he and his family had been very helpful smuggling in supplies for them, although that stopped two years ago when Hayate decided to unify Earth's nations under the TSAB to remove the threat of war. Which made her conquest of Earth sadly ironic.

"Karel, stop wasting time!" a female voice came from off-screen. "We don't know how much we'll be able to send out!"

"Oh, heh, sorry Liera," the middle-aged man replied, but still giving the appearance of a kid at heart. "Anyway, the strange thing is that quite a bit of the army forces left recently, and we're not sure why. They may be headed your way, or elsewhere. There are still pockets of resistance of Earth, including ours, so I thought they wouldn't reduce their forces until everything here was pacified."

"Karel, hurry up!" another female voice, older, commanded. "I'm not sure how much longer we can record!"

"Sorry mom," Karel replied, abashed. "Anyway, before we go, just wanted to say that the major commanders left, too. General Signum and General Vita, both. Hayate left them in charge a year ago when she returned to Mid-Childa. I didn't know they were here in our last message, but they aren't anymore. Not sure where they are headed, or what's up, so be careful."

"Mom, we have to go!" Liera's voice called urgently, still off-screen. "End it now!"

Karel hoisted a staff device. "Take care, guys, and good lu-"

The message promptly cut out as Agito stared at the static-filled screen, then lifted her disbelieving face to Rio.

"Yes, you understand now," Rio told her solemnly. "We have no reason to believe Karel was lying, which means only one thing."

Agito swallowed. "Signum is still alive..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Next chapter will be entitled "The Little Things" which has a bit of a dual meaning. All the scenes are written (unless I decide to add something), but the standard polish will take a few days, as always.

I know this chapter seemed a bit tame, but big things will be happening soon, and yet more questions will be answered, which will spawn yet more questions... ^_~


	12. The Little Things

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 12: The Little Things**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Were you even thinking when you brought her here!" The speaker's fist slammed his fist down on the wooden table to punctuate his point.

"I thought that was obvious, Jayce," Rio returned evenly, crossing her arms over her chest. "We were informed by our source-"

"Oh, here we go with that again," Jayce groaned, interrupting the other. "Your source that you so far refuse to name, because even you don't know who he is! For all we know, it's the intelligence leak we have!"

"Your disdain for Rio's source has been made quite clear before," another woman at the table stated. "And we don't need to deal with that now. Please, go on Rio."

"Thank you, Thao," Rio offered, grateful; the only other female resistance leader was the only logical one at the table sometimes, despite their clashing ideologies. "As I was saying, my source, who has provided invaluable intelligence in the past which is why my group has been so successful-" she paused to shoot Jayce a look, "-indicated that Seikou would be the key to our eventual victory. He hasn't misled us before, so I see no reason to start now."

They had decided to keep using Nanoha's fake name for now, since it had spread and Rio wanted to make use of the reputation she had developed. Not to mention that explaining the truth would just confuse people.

"Besides, Jayce, the intelligence leaks were happening long before this Seikou got here," the last member at the table, whom Rio knew as Denic, leader of a small resistance group far to the east. "And it's been hitting all of us."

"Except for Rio's little church group," Jayce pointed out. "It's probably that little demon."

"You and your 'Wheeled Warriors' haven't been hit that hard, either," Denric countered. "Only one of your operations was foiled, and you only lost one man and some gear. I had a whole unit get captured because they knew we were coming. And we barely evacuated our hideout in time!"

"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere," Thao interjected. "The truth is Rio's group has had the most success so far, so I think she has some leeway, although I still disagree that the Saint Church should be in the lead about this. People dislike the church almost as much as the Bureau due to the war, so any real victory has to come from the people themselves. If somehow this Seikou is going to be the key to our success, you should put her under our jurisdiction."

Rio grit her teeth; Thao did have a point, but she hated having to set Nanoha up like that. "I'll discuss it with her. But I would like to take her to see my source, first, to see exactly how she is supposed to help us win."

Thao glanced at Denric and Jayce, who both nodded their assent, the latter a bit more reluctantly. "Agreed. You should probably do this soon. Our own spies have let us know that Generals Signum and Vita have arrived on Mid-Childa, and I think they mean to finally put an end to us. Your success against Teana, while commendable, has put us firmly in the limelight."

"We'll set out within the day, and should be back in a few," Rio stated, standing up. "And we'll work out a plan for dealing with Signum, Vita, and Hayate then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to attend to."

She was well aware of Jayce's condescending glare directed her way as she left the meeting room, but chose to ignore it; she knew he was more jealous of her successes than anything else, and so was just looking for a reason to upstage her or put her down.

"[Rio?]" came Corona's voice in her head. "[I have something you need to see.]"

"[Good news, I hope?]" Rio answered, changing direction. "[I could really use some good news about now.]"

"[I'm not too sure, but it might not be,"] the other woman admitted.

Rio sighed. "[I'm on my way.]"

x~~*~~x

"You wanted to see me?" Nanoha asked, knocking lightly on the open door while taking note of the two women on the other side of the workbench.

Corona's goggle-clad head came up. "Oh, yes! I managed to retrieve the data."

"You did?" Nanoha inquired, cautiously hopeful as she entered the workshop, careful to avoid the miniature golems roaming about as they sorted parts and tools. "What does it says about who I'm supposed to meet?"

Rio's gaze appeared both serious and thoughtful. "We did, but there's something we'll have to talk about. Corona?"

The other woman nodded, typing on her holographic keyboard and bringing up a screen with a set of numbers, that Nanoha recognized as coordinates. "This is what we found. And when I bring up a map, this is where they indicate." She tapped a few more keys, displaying the physical location.

Nanoha's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what's there, but it looks like deep in a mountain range to the north."

Once again, she noticed Rio and Corona glance at each other, before the former turned back to address her. "That's in the general area where our oracle is."

"Oracle?" Nanoha questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"The reason we knew to look for you, and the reason we've been able to survive, is due to the oracle," Rio explained. "Shortly after the war, Corona and I received a strange message through secret Church channels to head up there, where we found a holographic image of an old man who gave us intelligence that helped us plot our guerrilla strategies. It's crazy how accurate his information is, almost like he can see the future. He never told us who he is, but twice a year, we make the trek to receive information per his instructions. No one else knows this, except Agito. The last time we were there, he told us to look for a woman fleeing the Bureau, a powerful mage who would be the key to victory; we've been keeping an eye out ever since."

The way Rio described it triggered something in Nanoha's mind. "Do either of you know about Carim's special magic?" They both shook their heads, confirming that they didn't; even back in her time, Carim's special skill was kept very top secret, except to the top brass at the Bureau. "Twice a year, she is able to make a prophecy regarding the future of Mid-Childa. She might be this oracle."

"And she's pretending to be a man, then?" Corona questioned, confused. "We were military commanders on her side in the war; why would she hide from us like that, and not tell us?"

"I'm not sure," Nanoha admitted, realizing that it was rather strange. "Perhaps she feels she needs to be as secretive as possible. But it sounds like she might want to meet with me, and If I go there, I might be able to find out what I'm supposed to do at least. If she's had a specific vision of the future, she might know what I'm supposed to do. Or at least, the reason Jail cloned me."

Rio allowed her grin to show. "I was hoping you'd say that. We can leave in a couple of hours, if you're ready to go then, and we can discuss some things on the way as well. It'll just be me, Corona, Agito and you; Givo can't come. The Oracle has said we three are the only ones he will see, but he should see you, too."

"Understood," Nanoha stated, heading back towards the door. "I just need to retrieve my pack from Vice's house and I'll be about ready."

"Oh, Nanoha, wait!" Corona said suddenly, causing the other woman to pause and turn back as she tossed the amulet at her.

Nanoha caught it easily. "Oh, thanks!"

"Alright, meet back here in an hour, and dress warmly!" Nanoha heard Rio call as she headed out the door, but her thoughts were focused on what lay ahead of her.

With any luck, she'd soon find her purpose, and the thought lifted her spirits more than she expected.

x~~*~~x

It was easy enough for Nove to slip out of Clanagan undetected, thanks to Quattro's preparations. And if the #4 cyborg held up her end of the plan, Hayate would never know Nove was gone at all; Quattro was supposed to be providing the illusion that Nove was still around.

_"They'll never suspect you're gone! I can make sure that Hayate thinks you're still around. Just slip out as Signum and Vita deploy, rescue your sisters, and return. Simple!"_

[Ha!] Nove laughed to herself as she traveled under cover of night using her purloined hoverbike. [Nothing is ever _that_ simple.]

As she left the ocean and reached the land on the other side, the main reason for grabbing a hoverbike, she knew she couldn't entirely trust Quattro. After all, Jail had, and look where that got him. Even as far back as the JS incident, she had revealed her nature as one that didn't care at all what happened to her sisters, which was the biggest reason Nove was hesitant about this.

But she also realized she didn't have a choice. If she didn't do this, Dieci would probably try to, and it was also true that Hayate might not quite care about their retrieval; Nove learned that Hayate had indeed ordered the destruction of Rio's group and the Nanoha clone as top priorities, once again following her standard MO for dealing with problems: The ends justify the means.

Of course, Nove understood that, and it was an ideal the Nakajima sisters agreed with in spirit; to protect the remains of their family, they'd pay any cost. They had lost too much already to risk the forfeiture of anymore of them, so this was something Nove had to do.

But as she glanced skyward and noted the lack of transport ships overhead, she wondered: [Where were Signum and Vita?]

x~~*~~x

Nanoha took a deep breath to steady herself, then entered the room, nodding at the guards who allowed her entrance. "Hello, Teana and Wendi."

The two were still in cells next to each other, still bound, handcuffed, and blindfolded, but Wendi proved their spirits still remained. "What are you doing back here? Come to gloat?"

"I'm going to be leaving soon, but I wanted to see you both one more time before I left," Nanoha explained. "And to give you a partial answer."

Teana's head came up slightly. "Answer?"

"About our methods and ideology," Nanoha explained, then sighed. "I may know the right thing to do, and maybe your actions, along with Hayate's, were necessary. I can't presume to judge you since I wasn't there. But I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to fulfill both our wishes, to make Mid-Childa and the worlds under the Bureau both free _and_ secure."

"Good luck with that," Teana told her flatly.

Nanoha allowed a small smile to form. "Thanks, but I have one more thing to say. While you felt your actions were necessary, you have to decide whether it's worth lowering yourself to your opponent's level. Because once you do, there isn't much that separates you two, and then you lose what you were fighting for." She paused, as if expecting some response, but didn't receive one. "And I promise I'll be back; I won't give up on either of you. Rio's given me her assurances that you won't be killed while I'm gone, as long as you don't try to escape."

Teana chuckled. "We'll see about that."

Nanoha shook her head, then left the prison cave, figuring that it wouldn't be that easy. Teana and Wendi had both lived difficult lives, seeing their loves ones ripped from them; they weren't going to be changed by words, or by being defeated in a simple fight. She didn't know what it would take, but in a way it was a litmus test for her, too; could she change them at all? Or would harsher measures be needed, the likes of which Hayate had apparently come to see as necessary?

It scared Nanoha to realize she didn't know.

"So you're leaving?" came a young male voice in a mildly accusing tone, catching her off guard and jarring her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, Givo, I was about to go looking for you!" Nanoha told him, noting the young man leaning against a wall a short distance down the tunnel from the prison. "I have to leave for a few days, but I should be back within a week."

He shrugged, but kept his position against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "I was wondering if you were gonna run out on our deal. You're still going to train me, right?"

She nodded. "When I get back, I'll resume training you. In the meantime, I've arranged for you to join the rebel's training group for a bit. You should be able to pick up some things, and we can go over it when you get back."

The young preteen seemed to accept that. "Alright, a week then. If you're not back by then, I go looking for you, okay?"

Nanoha smiled. "Agreed. I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

x~~*~~x

"Here's the latest report from the team three," Vita declared, putting up a screen in their forward base of operations. "No sign of anything to the west."

"And we know they aren't in the Occupied Saint Church Zone," Signum added, studying her own map. "We have even more troops there to monitor dissent, so if they had slipped in we would have known about it."

Vita leaned back in her chair and stretched. "They couldn't have gone too far from Farhaven, based on their best mode of travel, so where..." She sighed as she trailed off, giving the control panel a light punch in frustration. "Are you really okay with this, Signum? This is is Nanoha we're talking about."

"Hayate told us she is a clone, and with her power, she could be quite a threat," the Wolkenritter general replied. "If Hayate commands it, that is what we do. Feelings do not enter into it."

The hammer knight gazed over at Signum, then shook her head and returned to her screen. "Man, I never thought I'd hear myself get so sentimental, but... sometimes, I wish we could go back to the old days. You, me, Hayate, Rein, Shamal, Zafira, and Agito. Just us as a family. But everything is different now, even you. Or maybe it's just back to the really old days, I suppose. I think-"

She was cut off as sounds of a scuffle came from outside, Signum sprinting to the door and throwing it open, taking note of the two guards laying face down in the dirt. Curious, and with Levanteinn drawn, she stepped out and glanced around, but she couldn't see much in the darkness or through the tree line.

"General Signum!" came a male call as a squad of soldiers came running up. "We heard something; are you alright?"

"I am fine, but search the area; we may have an intruder," she commanded them, to which they responded by saluting and heading off in different directions.

She glanced down at the two unconscious soldiers, now seeing the piece of paper taped to the back of one, while also taking note of some small grooves in the dirt. Curious, she sheathed Levanteinn and then bent down to pick it up while running her fingers through the dirt grooves, raising them to sniff lightly.

[Oil,] she deduced. [The kind used to reduce friction among moving parts.]

"What is it?" Vita questioned from behind her.

Signum opened the piece of paper with her other hand, then gave it to Vita after looking it over. "A possible lead. Go check it out."

"Location of the rebel base?" Vita questioned, reading it, then turning around to head back in. "I'll see where these coordinates are exactly."

Signum waited a bit, eyes scanning the immediate area, then she sighed and spoke to the darkness. "If these coordinates check out, my thanks to you will be to not report you for leaving Clanagan. However, I suggest you head back there, as I may not be so lenient again."

x~~*~~x

Nove cursed from her spot high up in one of the larger trees, wondering for a brief moment how Signum knew it was her, but then realized her skates left a track in the dirt; there wasn't much else that would leave that kind of sign.

She sighed, wondering why Quattro hadn't told Signum where the rebel base was; perhaps she assumed Signum knew, but after listening in, Nove realized they were still searching. So she had to point them in the right direction to speed this up.

Shaking her head, she realized she couldn't worry about that now; she had to beat them to the location and get in position so she could use their assault as cover to get and rescue her sisters. Activating her Airliner IS, she quickly sped back to her concealed hoverbike.

x~~*~~x

Muted images and various lowl-level sounds, words and phrases continued to flow past against a shifting green background as the two descended, reaching deeper into Nanoha's mind.

"Feel anything yet?" Agito asked, turning to see the almost ghostly image of her companion next to her.

Nanoha shook her head, finding it a bit weird to see Agito the same size as her. "I don't feel any different. How long will this take, do you think?"

It was something that Nanoha was uneasy about for some reason, but deep down she knew she had to do this. If there was any subconscious programming in here, she had to find it and deal with it; she couldn't take the risk of losing control at a critical moment, and better to do that before she got to the oracle. What if Jail knew of him/her, and that he/she was the reason for Rio's successes? No one would expect Nanoha to assassinate him/her, would they? But then again, the Oracle seemed to be the one who gave Nanoha's genetic material to Jail, and knew she was coming, so wouldn't he/she expect it?

So she was taking this time while they were camped out to allow Agito to do a bit of exploring. Still, Nanoha cleared her head and refocused, realizing she couldn't really postulate about the "why" right now; she had to concentrate on the present and deal with the reasons afterward.

"Not too sure, as I'm not too familiar with this," Agito admitted. "Rein tended to do the mind searches. She taught me the basics but I only did it a couple of times; it always made me uneasy, especially since the humans never subjected themselves to it willingly." She shook her head as if throwing off an unpleasant memory. "But there's only two ways I can find subconscious programming; first by bombarding your senses with images and sounds, seeing if you have a reaction."

"And that's why Rio and Corona are standing by outside, having my body bound, ready to control me should I react," Nanoha stated, understanding that part. "What's the second?"

"If there are any parts of your mind that are heavily guarded, that might indicate programming that is trying to protect itself," Agito explained

"Might?" Nanoha questioned.

"It could also just be memories or feelings you are suppressing," Agito replied softly, and Nanoha almost thought she saw a bit of nostalgia appear on the little demon's face. "Rein ran into that a few times. Humans have a tendency to bottle up things they don't want to face or acknowledge. Even if you consciously say you'll let me see everything, your subconscious desire can overpower that."

"You miss her, don't you?" Nanoha realized, feeling a wave of emotion wash over her; the unison worked both ways. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't pry, but I could just feel it."

Agito shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't really matter; some things have to be put aside if we're gonna do this. We didn't always get along, but our rivalry gave me something... I don't know how to put it." She shook her head. "But she's not Rein so much anymore."

"What do you mean?" Nanoha probed, curious as she kept trying to glance at every image to see if she reacted; perhaps she could help Agito in some way, as repayment for her help in this.

"It's one of the reasons I set the time limit for unison," Agito answered cryptically. "After Shamal and Zafira died, Hayate and Rein spent all their time together; they were rarely apart. At first, we thought it was just grief over losing people they cared about, but we soon learned they were practicing to stay unisoned for longer and longer periods of time. When I left, I don't think they ever really separated for more than a few minutes at a time."

"And that's bad?" Nanoha questioned. Other than the fact that they bonded over a shared grief, she couldn't see why.

"It's hard to explain," she admitted, sighing. "Part of my programming warns me that it's a danger if two beings are joined as one for too long, because you can lose you who you are. If one personality is stronger, the other suffers. If it's the unison device, than the master loses control and takes on the appearance of the device. But if the master is stronger, then the device loses all sense of self, becoming just an extension of the master, almost unable to act on her own anymore."

Nanoha noticed Agito trail off, not mentioning the third possibility. "What if they are equal?"

"They blend, almost becoming like one being, each losing parts of themselves, which is mostly what happened with Hayate and Rein," Agito replied softly. "The changes happened gradually over the years, but their personalities did a bit of blending and Hayate and Rein occasionally spoke at the same time, referring to their combined self as 'we' or 'us' instead of 'me' or 'I'. She doesn't do it all the time, just mainly when she gets emotional. It's like they forget they are two separate people sometimes. But by the time I realized what was going on, it was too late and they wouldn't listen to me. I 'm afraid one of these days they won't be able to separate at all."

[No wonder Hayate changed so much,] Nanoha thought to herself, realizing that might have been a large reason why she changed the Bureau so much into what it was today.

"Hold on, what's that?" Agito wondered aloud suddenly, pausing.

Nanoha stopped next to her, looking around. "What's what?"

Her guide turned to look at her, gesturing towards a spot between images that was just part of the shifting green background. "You don't see that? The black mass that almost looks like some dark clouds?"

Nanoha squinted, concentrating, almost thinking she saw something for a moment, like a thin shape at tickling the edge of her vision. "Almost... maybe..."

Agito began to float closer to it. "That's a sign it could be something you are hiding from yourself, which could be an indication of programming. Let's take a look... whoa!"

Nanoha watched the little demon suddenly duck and weave, as if avoiding shots that were being fired at her, but try as she might, she still couldn't see them. "Agito!"

"Damn it, it's not letting me get close," the unison device stated, grimacing as she floated back up. "If we're gonna expose it, I'm going to need your help. Things like this won't want to really harm you, because if you die, it dies. And it needs you alive; pure self-preservation."

Nanoha nodded, and floated in front of Agito, listened to her directions as she flew in the direction indicated. Her skin began to tingle, hairs standing on end as if fear itself was engulfing her, making her want to run away; but she grit her teeth and continued on, not willing to let it take over. Eventually, she saw what Agito had described, a mass of roiling black clouds; taking a breath, she reached out her hands and began to part them.

And then it exploded.

x~~*~~x

Rio and Corona jumped up as Nanoha suddenly screamed, her bound body suddenly struggling and arching from where it lay a short distance from their campfire. The two quickly moved over and knelt down on either side.

"Help me reinforce the binds!" Rio declared, thrusting her hands out, palms open.

Corona mirrored the action, biting her lip. "It looks like they found something after all."

Rio stared as Nanoha's body suddenly took on a pink glow, and then the glow shattered as her body activated it's barrier jacket. But it wasn't the white one Rio had seen before back at the battle of Farhaven; this one was black with red lining. What's more, black marks appeared along the exposed parts of her skin, almost like she had just been singed.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Rio wondered aloud.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha flew backwards a short distance, covering her face with her arms. Once she recovered and the smoke cleared, Nanoha found herself staring at... herself.

"Hello!" the other her declared with a grin. "Thanks for freeing me!"

Agito picked herself up. "Freeing you? Weren't you protecting yourself?"

Nanoha raised an eyebrow in confusion; it looked like her, but the barrier jacket was black instead of white. "Who are you?"

"I think that would be obvious," came the almost-bored reply from her double, lifting her hands and firing. "You can die now, though!"

Nanoha barely got out of the way of the crimson beam that looked much like her Divine Buster, except for the color. "Wait, if you're me, why are you attacking?"

"You're really slow, ya know?" her doppelganger intoned, then giggled as she fired again. "But when you're dead, it won't matter."

This time, Nanoha met the attack with one of her one, the two beams crashing into each other; but hers was being slowly overpowered. "If you're the programming, what is your goal?"

There was no immediate response as the clash continued, forcing Nanoha to jump out of the way as her attack was finally conquered. She summoned several orbs, but her lookalike was gone. [Where...?] She turned as several crimson orbs smacked into her position and exploded.

"Nanoha!" Agito called, launching her fireballs on the double.

Nanoha managed to weather it and shoot out of the smoke cloud, loosing her orbs in response. The combined fire put the lookalike on the defensive as they advanced, at least until a bind ensnared Agito.

"A trap!" Agito growled, struggling to free herself.

"Please tell me you're bright enough to figure out what happens next?" the double declared with her left hand raised, forcing Nanoha to pause, noting the orbs hovering around Agito.

Nanoha executed a Flash Move, appearing in front of Agito and shielding the little demon's body with her own, her face firm as she stared down her counterpart. "You don't want me dead, which is why you won't fire those lethal orbs. I've been noticing which of your attacks are lethal, and which aren't. So who or what are you?"

"Gah, you really are dense!" the doppelganger complained while the raising her right hand, palm open, another large beam exploding forth. Nanoha quickly formed a protection barrier around them both, blocking it, knowing that if she dodged it would be Agito who would pay the price.

"Nanoha, something's wrong, I don't think that's any kind of programming," Agito told her, slowly breaking the binds. "She said we freed her, and subconscious programming wouldn't have been trapped like that. Your subconscious was managing to hold her before, so you need to trap her again!"

Nanoha grit her teeth as cracks began to appear in her spherical barrier."How? She seems stronger than me."

"We combine our powers," came the answer as more cracks appeared in both the barrier and Agito's bind, but it was a race to see which would go first.. "I'm almost free..."

The barrier exploded, causing the duplicate to pause as the smoke began to clear, ready to send in the orbs she was holding back. But her eyes widened a bit as Nanoha emerged, her hair fiery red and her white barrier jacket now with crimson lining. The doppelganger fired the orbs anyway, but Nanoha was gone, fiery binds wrapping themselves around the lookalike's body as Nanoha reappeared.

"Now, focus on restructuring the cage!" Agito told her as the double slowly broke the binds.

The black mass of clouds appeared and rolled in as Nanoha concentrated, surrounding the impersonator, who sighed in frustration. "Phooey. Oh well, you'll be back. Be seein' you..."

Nanoha's last image of herself was the duplicate smiling evilly at her, as the last of the cage of black clouds was reformed. Then Agito canceled the unison, and ended the session.

x~~*~~x

"What the hell happened in there?" Rio demanded to know as Agito phased out of Nanoha, the latter blinking her eyes open.

"That's what I want to know," Nanoha agreed, rubbing her head after the two women binding her released their spell, noting her clothing had returned to normal. "That wasn't any kind of programming?"

Agito floated down into Rio's hands to rest. "No, I don't think so. You hold back some when you fight, don't you, Nanoha?"

The woman sat up and nodded. "I don't want to hurt people if I can help it, so I put extra effort into my spells so they have just the right effect."

"That's partly what she was, then; a part of you that doesn't hold back at all," Agito deduced. "Also, probably the darker impulses that I see a lot of humans struggle with. You subconsciously contain them, and do a pretty good job of it - better than most, I'd say - but it's there all the same." She shook her head. "I need to take a break before we continue."

Nanoha watched her float away, then saw Rio nod at Corona and stand up to follow the path Agito took out of camp. But the cloned mage could only afford the barest of amount of her attention on that and the canteen that a smiling Corona offered her. Nanoha thanked her, then took a drink to quench her thirst as she tried to let her mind go blank for once.

But her attempt failed; as she was now keenly aware of something else inside her, and it almost disturbed her more to realize she _wasn't_ too troubled by this latest revelation.

x~~*~~x

_"What is the matter?" her opponent inquired. "Are you not up to the task?"_

_Anger twisted Agito's face into a scowl as she wiped her lip and grit her teeth, shakily regaining her feet and floating upwards again. "This is wrong and you know it! I only wish I had seen it sooner. Please, we need to stop this before we betray-"_

_"I must serve my mistress," Signum declared, her voice solemnly. "If you would stop me, you'll have to do better than that._

_She leapt, sword aflame._

"Something else is bothering you, more than just whatever you experienced with Nanoha," came Rio's voice as Agito sat on a rock next to the stream, breaking the latter out of her thoughts.

"Ah," Agito affirmed softly, not looking up. "I am reminded of that day I almost died, and you came upon me in that forest clearing. If it hadn't of been for you..."

"You can thank the oracle, who told me to be there," Rio replied, grinning a bit as she sat down on the grass next to the unison device. "I was surprised to see you two fighting, as you both were a pretty strong team during the war; I didn't think it likely you'd turn."

_"What the hell are you doing?" Rio accused, blocking the fiery sword strike by clapping her equally inflamed hands on either side of the blade._

_"This is not your concern," Signum told her. "Move."_

_"Attacking your own compatriot?" Rio questioned with a growl, pushing the sword away and forcing the Knight General back. "That's something I can't forgive!" She jerked a thumb at her own chest. "I'm supposed to be the enemy, so if you have some problem with her, take it out on me!"_

_Signum was silent a moment. "As you wish."_

"The darkness I saw inside Nanoha..." Agito started to say, then trailed off. "It scares me, because I see what it did to Hayate, and how she dragged Signum and Vita down with her."

"It's in all humans, me included, if you remember," Rio stated softly. "But I handled it, although a lot of people couldn't."

_Rio panted, her body aching all over from the cuts, gashes, and blows she had taken. But she was a bit better than her opponent at least, who was trying to pull herself up from the crater that her body had just created thanks to Rio and Agito's unisoned Meteor Rush._

_"Give... up... yet?" Rio panted the question out, hoisting the large boulder above her head with both hands._

_Signum barely managed to raise her body part way, blood leaking from her lip as they curled upward slowly. "What... are you... waiting for?"_

_Rio hesitated; she had done things in the war, but that was over now, and finishing her off now would be more like an execution._

_"[Rio, please,]" Agito's tired voice came from within. "[I don't have to strength to do it myself.]"_

_"[But isn't she your friend?]" Rio asked, startled. "[She's beaten. So why...?]"_

_Signum's hand slowly crept towards her cracked sword, laying nearby. "Agito... you know what... I will do..."_

_"[JUST DO IT!]" Agito cried from within, tears in her eyes as she raised her hands from within and set the boulder on fire. "[PLEASE!]"_

_Rio cursed as shouts came in the distance; their little song and dance had finally drawn the attention of Enforcers, and it was now or never. Growling, she tossed the huge, flaming object down._

_And noted the odd, small smile on Signum's face a second before the object crashed down and exploded. Then she was fleeing as fast as she could, Agito crying inside her._

"You're the only person I told," Agito spoke softly, and then her voice turned firm. "If she is still alive, I have to kill her once and for all. I can't let her stain her hands with blood anymore. It's the only way to redeem her honor, and the only way Zest will rest in peace."

The two sat there for awhile longer in silence, nothing more needing to be said.

Xx~~*~~xX


	13. Dawn, Breaking

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 13: Dawn, Breaking**

Xx~~*~~xX

_5:58 am._

Vice blinked as he glanced sideways at the time displayed on the digital alarm clock next to his bed, inwardly smiling at the fact his internal chronometer still got him up about the same time each morning after all these years. He yawned and reached out with his arm, patting the spot next to him but finding it empty, causing him to turn and chuckle in response.

[And Alto _still_ manages to get up before me after all these years,] he thought to himself, amused, the sound of metal pounding on metal coming from outside bringing a smile to his lips. [Some things never change.]

He pushed himself out of bed and slipped into his faded green jumpsuit, heading downstairs to find the coffee pot already prepared and thus poured himself a cup. The clanging of metalwork in the hanger just outside continued, drawing him to the front door of their modest shack in a casual stroll to lean against the door frame and watch her work for a moment.

"You still don't think that will really fly, do you?" he called out teasingly, knowing she had put the thing together piece by piece for the last five years. "Don't you think it's time you gave up?"

"You just want to weasel out of our bet!" she shouted back, continuing to work. "When this baby flies, you'll admit I'm the better pilot _and_ cook me dinner! A good one!"

"I know, but that won't be an issue since it'll never fly," Vice shot back, which caused her to bark a laugh in response that clearly indicated she felt he was full of crap. Grinning, he shook his head and headed back inside, tapping his ear communicator. "Lookout, this is Vice, give me a status report."

"Mornin' Sarge," came the reply, using the affectionate nickname most of the resistance had for him. "All quiet. A couple of our early warning beacons triggered not too long ago, but it's probably the bears again; they tend to rouse and roam around this time of year. I've sent a few people to go check it out and reset them."

"Send me the data," Vice requested and then sipped some coffee, as a holographic map screen of the outside environs appeared, showcasing the two blinking beacons.

"Mornin' dad," Amos greeted, coming downstairs and grabbing some coffee. "Mom's up early as usual, looks like. What are you up to?"

Vice held his hand up to silence his son. "Something's a bit off; the last time we had bears trigger the beacons, they did so farther to the south; these two are on the east side."

"Maybe these are new bears?" Amos suggested, taking a sip.

A third beacon started blinking to the south. "No, I placed those two myself last year." He tapped his ear piece again while setting his coffee down. "Lookout, recall those people and send out a warning; I think we've got company. It might be just a scouting party or some travelers, or we could be facing something more, but we shouldn't reveal ourselves just yet."

"Roger, Sarge, passing the wo-" the person covering the lookout position started to say. "Hold on... Transformation magic! They're coming in disguised! A whole mess of Bureau soldiers!"

Vice swore. "Sound the alarm and activate the shield generators. I'm on my way." He signed off and turned to his son. "I think we're under attack. Stay with your mom while I go organize the men."

His son's eyes widened, but he nodded, and Vice knew he'd do as he was told; his only concern now was ensuring the survival of everyone else, and more importantly, [How the hell did they know we were here?]

x~~*~~x

"We think our advance forces were detected," a captain reported, manning the communications console. "They discovered two men wandering about, but managed to subdue them. They may have got off a warning."

Signum closed her eyes, then drew her sword "I think it is fair to assume they know we are here now. The time for stealth is over. Commence full scale attack and do not let a single soul leave this mountain. Contact General Vita and I the moment the target is discovered; no one is to attempt to engage her."

He saluted. "Yes, sir!"

The base of the mountain lit up as soldiers charged into battle, attempting to blast their way in.

x~~*~~x

"And the winner is Givo," the combat instructor noted, chuckling. "Again."

The young man got off his bound opponent, smirk never leaving his face as the older kid's binds dissolved and he got up, dusting his pants. Givo was beginning to appreciate what Nanoha had taught him; binds were almost more versatile than attack magic, and most opponent's weren't expecting them, or able to deal with him. Still, he had been able to improve his attack magic some, improving his one weak spell into something decent.

"We'll have to have whoever trained you come give these guys some lessons," the instructor noted with amusement. "So far, they keep thinking they can charge in with attack magic blazing and expect to win somehow."

Before anyone could respond to that, the alarm sounded. "We are under attack, this is not a drill, everyone to their stations. Repeat, we are under attack, this is not a drill, everyone to their stations."

"You heard that, let's go!" the instructor shouted, as the cavern came alive with activity.

Givo stared in confusion as the students ran off to wherever it was they were supposed to go, leaving him standing there wondering what he should do. At first, he had the impulse to run, to get out of here as fast as possible; but then he remembered some unfinished business, and if he left now, there was no telling when he'd get another shot.

Making sure his knife was firmly placed on his belt, he took off towards the prison cells.

x~~*~~x

Vita let loose a wave of projectiles to pound the enemy's position part way up the mountain. So far, only a very few openings had been detected, rather small ones at that, and most of those had been apparently collapsed or sealed long ago. But there were one or two where they detected activity, however those were shielded by strong barriers, probably generated from somewhere deep inside, which made Vita realize this must have been one of the old Saint Church bases from the war.

"This is captain Guyjo, we've taken an east passageway where a couple of rebels have surrendered," came the voice along the communication channel. "We're about to move in."

"No, DON'T!" Vita called, but it was too late, the line went dead as the sound of an explosion sounded a few hundred meters away, causing her to growl. "This is General Vita to all troops, be wary of approaching hostiles! They may be carrying suicide explosive charges!"

They needed to get in and she wasn't going to sacrifice any of her men to do it. If she just charged in, though, odds were good they'd collapse the tunnel; she couldn't give them that chance. She directed all fire towards a single point, then flew far above it while popping a cartridge and switching Graf Eisen to Raakenform.

With the extra rocket boost, she yelled and charged straight down faster than the rebels could react, slamming her drill into the barrier. Combined with the fire striking it from the side, the shield weakened and then shattered, allowing Vita into the enemy's midst where she spun against their individual barriers, knocking them all out of the way before they could detonate any explosives.

She stopped and tapped her ear communicator. "Squads 3, 4, and 7, converge on my position now!"

The beachhead was made.

x~~*~~x

"Outta my way!" Nove growled at the rebels she barreled through at high speeds, having managed to penetrate one of the lower tunnels.

Signum and Vita's forces were heavily engaged in close combat now, and despite their more defensible position, she knew it wouldn't take the Bureau's superior numbers long to overwhelm the rebels. She had to find Teana and Wendi before the rebels decided to kill them or try to use them as hostages.

[If they were still alive,] the unbidden thought came, but Nove shoved it right back down; they _had_ to be alive, and that's all there was to it.

She reached a small open area where several soldiers and rebels were clashing in melee combat, with a half-dozen other cave tunnels leading every which way. She took the right one while trying to avoid the combatants, calling out her sisters' names, and was eventually rewarded with faint calls over the sound of combat.

"Teana!" Nove exclaimed, coming to a stop in the small jail, making short work of the two guards within. "Wendi! Hold on, I'll have you out in a bit."

"We have AMF collars on, too, with explosives," Teana told her as Nove searched for keys and unlocked the cells, then then wrist and ankle restraints.

"I came prepared for a few things, hold on," she told them as they removed their own blindfolds, reaching into her waist pack and coming out with a key which she used to unlock them. "Good thing these collars have a standard interface. I've also got some new devices for you, since I figured your old ones might have been destroyed.

She dug around in her waist pack again, bringing out a card and a watch which she handed to them and then stepping back to the entrance as they activated them. "Alright, we should be able to get out of here the same way I came in and... guys? Whoa!"

Nove dove out of the way as Teana fired on her, the gun mage's face nearly expressionless and her eyes a bit unfocused. But Wendi was holding up her arm cannons, glowing with dark pink energy, and Nove had to roll and move quickly to avoid the blasts. She came up next to Teana who was swinging her gun down in dagger mode that gashed Nove's arm, but the roller skate cyborg rolled with it and managed a spin kick that knocked Teana back against the wall.

"What the hell is the matter with you guys?" she demanded to know, but they didn't answer.

Wendi merely hissed and growled as she advanced, firing again. Nove sped under them, using her airliner to loop up to the ceiling and come down with a punch to knock Wendi out, but the latter fired straight up, dislodging rock from the ceiling and forcing Nove to veer off course. Before she could react, Wendi leapt through the following debris and tackled Nove, continuing to growl as she came up on top, choking her sister.

As her vision dimmed, Nove had one thought. [Quattro, you're going to pay for this!]

x~~*~~x

"The east and south entrances have been penetrated!" came the distraught cry over the channel. "They're coming through, hundreds of them!"

"Calm down and hold your ground, giving up space as needed to maintain an advantage," Vice soothed, mentally running through options. "We need to buy time for as many people to evacuate as possible. Collapse the tunnels at the designated points, too. That should buy us some time."

Vice took a deep breath as he ran through the complex, giving orders and directing people. Rio had left him in charge and he wasn't about to lose everyone; he was bound and determined that she'd have a resistance to come back to when she returned, if he had anything to say about it. Still, the situation _was_ rather bad; the Bureau was throwing their main army units against the rebel hideout. Hayate apparently really wanted them gone once and for all, and thus was sparing no expense.

"Sarge!" a new voice called through the radio. "Escape tunnels 1 and 2 have collapsed, and the Bureau has the west exit covered! There's no way out!"

[Strike that, the situation is worse than bad,] Vice inwardly growled, trying to think.

"I heard everything," came the voice of his wife on the channel. "Get everyone up to the hanger. We can launch in 15 minutes."

"Are you talking about that old shuttle?" he questioned in disbelief. "This is no time for jokes!"

"The only joke is the fact that I have to pull your ass out of the fire again!" came the snarky reply. "Get your butt up here in 15 minutes!"

Several rebels appeared from a tunnel entrance on the ground level, firing into it as they backtracked, but the return fire was more numerous as Bureau soldiers emerged from it; more rebels were dropping than soldiers. Vice cursed and brought out Storm Raider, taking aim and firing a concentrated beam above the tunnel, sending a wave of rock and debris down on the soldiers and temporarily sealing it.

"You've got 10 minutes," Vice told her through the channel.

His wife's response was a string of expletives.

x~~*~~x

"Well, this is interesting," came a surprised and amused voice.

Nove spared a glance up to see a kid she recognized standing there, as she tried to pry Wendi's arms from her neck, and gasping out a "Help."

"Why should I?" Givo answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "You didn't help me when your sister had me by the throat! And it looks like you're finding out what kind of person she is right now."

Nove ground her teeth as she very slightly pulled her sister's hands off, due to being slightly stronger as a physical fighter. "Because it won't be long before the Bureau takes this place over completely and you'll be captured or worse; we can get you out of here alive and free. And if I'm forced to kill her, you'll never have a chance at your revenge!"

Givo blinked. _Help _his enemy? The thought was almost alien to him; how could he help someone who had done so much wrong to him? He could probably strike Wendi now, attack her while she was occupied with Nove, but...

_"And the cycle of revenge and death never stops,"_ came the voice in his head. _"Right now, you can choose to be like her, or be better than her. What do you want?"_

Givo shook his head, cursing that Nanoha/Seikou woman for putting that thought in there. So, killing was out, but he might just be satisfied just beating the crap out of her, which he wouldn't be able to do at the moment, due to not being strong enough.

So that left helping or walking away, but he didn't know this place well and didn't fancy his chances getting by the Bureau's army. He hated to admit that Nove was right; even if he was captured instead of killed outright, he'd be forced to become a Bureau army soldier and shipped off-world, never getting another chance at revenge. As Teana slowly returned to her feet, he realized he had to make a decision quick.

The young teen growled in frustration as survival instinct trumped revenge, quickly sprinting in front of the struggling Nove and throwing up a shield as Teana fired to block her shots. Thrusting out his other hand behind him, he bound Wendi, just as his shield shattered to repeated fire and sent him tumbling away to slam into a wall.

Nove spun to her feet and raced in, punching Teana in the gut and shooting the guns out of the latter's hands, lowering the gun mage gently to the floor. Then she quickly crossed back over and smashed Wendi's arm cannons and kicked the surfboard away, noting with relief that both her sisters seemingly came back to themselves after those actions. Her suspicion was correct.

"What happened?" Wendi asked, blinking, then tried to move. "And why am I bound?"

Nove broke her free. "I'll explain later, but we need to get out of here; Signum and Vita are attacking, and I'm not supposed to be here." As if to punctuate her point, the room rumbled to a large explosion not too far away, dislodging dust from the ceiling.

"Not yet," Teana said, regaining her feet and lumbering across the room. "We need to get something first." She roughly grabbed the dazed Givo and held a glowing finger to his head. "And he's gonna help us, since the other two guards are out like a light."

Givo fully recovered and glared at Nove. "What! This is the thanks I get after what I just did? Feh, should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Teana, he did just help me save you two," Nove offered as she helped Wendi up.

The gun mage raised an eyebrow, glancing down at him. "Oh? Listen, kid, I have nothing against you, and I'll let you go once we're out of here. If you help us one more time, we'll get you out of here so that you're not captured by Signum; and trust me, you don't want that. Where are the devices that were confiscated from us when we were captured? Don't help us, and I can finish you myself right here and now."

Nove raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think he... knows..."

He had closed his eyes, seemingly concentrating, then pointed. "Fine. I show you where they are, and you get me out of here and let me go free, alright?"

Teana nodded and handed him to Wendi to hold who carried him under her right arm. "Deal. No double-crossing or Wendi will deal with you."

The three women headed out, Nove and Teana covering while Wendi kept a firm hold on the kid. Thanks to Givo, their trip was made relatively quickly, and thanks to Nove it was mostly quiet; for the most part the fighting was elsewhere, and the few rebels they passed were quickly rendered unconscious by the #9 cyborg. They eventually reached some sort of workshop where the three devices were located in a small locked compartment, seemingly in good condition. Teana pocketed Mach Calibur and tossed Wave Rider to Wendi, then activated Cross Mirage.

"Now, let's get out of here," she told her two cyborg sisters as they headed back out of the room.

"Don't move!" came the sudden shout. "And let the kid go!"

Teana didn't need to turn around to realize who that was. "Vice. I don't think you have time to worry about us, when the rest of your little group is about to go down."

"You know, I think you're right," he replied.

A thin green beam piercing Wendi's right shoulder, bypassing skin to damage the cybernetic muscles and bones inside and forcing her to drop Givo who hit the ground rolling and came up on one knee, focusing his magic into both his hands as Vice fired a second shot that damaged Nove's right roller blade before the #9 cyborg could come at him. Wendi spun and brought up her left arm cannon to bear on Vice's position, but Givo was a split second faster, releasing his white arrow-like bolt that struck her arm and knocked it up as she fired, lacing the ceiling with multiple energy shots.

Vice dove and rolled around a corner as Teana turned and fired, but the confrontation was over as quick as it started due to Wendi's fire damaging the supports along the roof of the tunnel. Rock and debris began to rain down as cracks spread in the ceiling, forcing Vice and the girls to sprint in different directions to outrun the collapsing corridor.

But Givo was right in the middle of it, and barely had time to put up a barrier before he was buried underneath mounds of earth.

x~~*~~x

"Oh dear, the devices were destroyed!" Quattro lamented, then frowned in annoyance as her opponent knocked over a pawn with her knight to put her in check. She sighed. "And I put so much work into those..."

Her chess partner chuckled. "I could have told you they wouldn't work."

Quattro studied the chessboard, but detected precious few options. "And your game is as sharp as ever sister. But don't think you've won yet!"

"By all means, make your next move, then," her wily opponent challenged, spreading her arms wide. "But I thought I taught you better than this."

"Well, it would have made things a bit easier if they had worked," the #4 cyborg admitted, picking up a bishop and moving it to block the knight. "But still, we've lost nothing. The next phases of the plan are proceeding, though I am a bit doubtful about the sketchy information we've gathered."

"You protect your king well," Quattro's sister and mentor nodded, reaching out to grasp her other knight. "But you aren't protected as well as you'd like to believe."

Quattro sighed as her queen as taken, then made the obligatory move to take the knight with a rook. "I know how much you like your knights, so I didn't think you'd sacrifice one of them like that."

"You're getting too sentimental," came the admonishing response. "A proper sacrifice for just the right effect, is one of the most important moves you can play in chess; I thought I would have more than demonstrated that by now. And it may be just rumor, but if the information we have obtained is correct, it will mean big things."

"Indeed, 'mother'," came a new male voice from the shadows. "If he has discovered what I think he has, it will be the greatest scientific discovery of all time. And our little pawns will help us claim it for our own!"

Quattro grinned, amused, as she swung her hand over the chessboard, debating her next move. She was slightly different than her comrades, in that the journey was more interesting than the destination itself. But even she had to admit that this time, the destination might just prove to be the most fascinating journey of all.

x~~*~~x

"We've cut off all the lower accesses, general," came the call over the channel. "The rebels appear to be moving further up, though we are unsure why."

"Continue to push them," Signum intoned, flying through the tunnels. "They will soon run out of mountain."

As she received the affirmative reply, her thoughts were still mildly concerned; thus far, there had been no sign of the Nanoha clone and Signum figured she'd be at the forefront of the fighting. Where was she?

x~~*~~x

All over the mountain, Bureau soldiers poured in. The rebels collapsed as many tunnels as possible and and did their best to slow the advance, but it only delayed the inevitable. Vice kept calling out orders, rallying as many as he could to the upper level hanger until the last possible moment, dreading how he was going to tell Nanoha that he had lost the kid she was taking care of.

"Go go go!" Vice shouted to the last few people running past him and his son as they covered for them. Magic shots came from both ends of the tunnel now as the soldiers crept up to the two men in the hanger doorway. "Amos, above!"

"On it, dad!" his son shot back as he took the hint and both of them aimed their weapons up, blasting into the ceiling and sending waves of debris down both sides, collapsing the tunnel. "That won't hold them for long."

"Get to your mother in the shuttle, ASAP!" he commanded, as soon as the doors were slammed shut. "I'll be along in a moment!"

Thankfully Amos went without protest while Vice fired a single beam to weld the metal door shut, then took aim above it, firing several short blasts which began to collapse the ceiling in front of the door.

As it began to come down, he quickly hotfooted it for the shuttle while the warming engines began to whine, returning Storm Raider to device form while letting his son grasp his hand and pull him aboard, slamming the hatch closing switch after.

"Strap in!" Alto called from up front tempo of the vehicle beginning to shake and shudder under them.

Vice quickly made his way up to the co-pilot's seat and buckled himself in, then noticed a tiny detail that they seemed to have overlooked. "Um, Alto, what about the hanger doors?"

She didn't miss a beat as she flipped switches. "What do you mean? They haven't worked for years. I figured I'd get to them once the shuttle was done."

Vice sweat-dropped. "That's the point! Aren't they kinda important!"

"Calm down you big baby," she told him, slamming a center switch that did nothing. "Huh." She whacked it again, and was rewarded as the technical readout came up on a holographic screen. "Interface Storm Raider into the firing controls and blast us an exit in exactly 28 seconds."

Vice blinked as he inserted his dog tag device into the slot and cross hairs appeared on the holographic screen, indicating that a cannon had swung into position on the underside of the shuttle, then grasped his controls and took aim. As the count reached down and the main engines flared, he pressed the trigger, sending a spread of several shots into the metal doors as the shuttle began to lurch forward, exposing the light from outside.

"Hold oooon!" Alto called as her baby shot forward and burst out of the newly-formed hole, then she pulled back hard on the stick to put it into a steep climb.

"Where are we going!" Vice shouted in alarm.

"I thought it was obvious!" Alto shot back as the shuttle gained altitude. "Space! They'll be able to track us in this thing no matter where we go on the planet. We'll have to come back later with reinforcements."

"Are you crazy!" Vice questioned in disbelief. "There are ships out there! We'll never make it out of orbit!"

Alto grit her teeth and pointed to the closed hatch. "If you want to get off, you still can!"

"Mom, dad, would you cut it out?" Amos yelled from in back.

The sounds of the engines and the rattling of the frame around them was the only sound for a few moments as both adults heeded their son's command, with Vice wondering if the thing would actually hold together. Surprisingly, it did as they began to leave the atmosphere, but then his scanners came alive.

"Detecting two cruisers approaching from the other side of the planet," Vice announced. "Vector 00 by 45 by 38. They'll be on us in a minute. Wait, where are the shields?"

"Haven't gotten around to installing them yet!" Alto replied casually, tapping away at her controls. "But don't worry, we have this!" She hit a final button and there was a distinct whine that rapidly dropped in volume, which just as quickly changed her expression from supreme confidence to worry. "No no no, come on, baby!"

"30 seconds to firing range!" Vice called out, almost more distressed by his wife's actions and the shuttle, then the Bureau ships in pursuit. "25 seconds!"

"Take the controls!" his wife yelled at him while she slipped out of her seat, barely giving him time to grasp the handles.

"20 seconds!" Vice called out while Alto pulled off a panel and fiddled with wires and circuits inside. "What are you doing?"

"The backstroke," she replied sarcastically, as a few sparks flashed from inside. "What does it look like!"

Vice pushed down on the throttle, trying to squeeze more speed out of the engines. "Well, you better finish your laps soon because Hayate's ships are gonna evict us from the pool in about 10 seconds."

"Done!" she declared triumphantly, then took a breath and reached up to smack the button again. There was a few seconds of a very pregnant pause, and then the shuttle lurched into hyperspace; she tossed him a victorious grin. "You owe me dinner!"

He blinked at her. "You put hyperspace engines on a shuttle! I didn't think that was possible! Why didn't you tell me? And what's stopping them from pursuing us?"

She shrugged and lifted three fingers to rattle off her answers, ticking them one at a time. "'Yes' and 'You didn't ask.' As for your third, we're also faster, having less mass to propel, so we should outpace them shortly. Also, our small size limits our signature, so we should be out of the detection range, provided the hyperdrive holds out, which I have every confidence in." She beamed and tossed him a thumbs up. "Corona helped me work out the specifics!"

At the woman's name, the two fell silent; despite their escape, the Kaiser Force had taken a heavy beating and was out of action, with no telling when or if they could recover. Vice unbuckled and stood up, heading to the back of the craft, where their passengers were buckled to the sides in fold out seats. One by one, he locked gazes with each of the men and women who had made it, realizing each of them felt the same.

"We got about 18 people out, dad, including us," Amos told him softly, standing up from his seat.

Neither man needed to say more. There were over 50 people back in the hideout, which meant they got less than half. Vice slammed his fist against a bulkhead, then gazed out a porthole at the shifting colors of the dimensional sea. Not only had he failed Rio and the trust she had put in him, but he had failed everyone else.

How the hell were they going to fight Hayate now?

x~~*~~x

Corona crawled out of the the dome tent and rose to her feet, stretching as she glanced around, then promptly froze as her eyes found something in the distance. "Rio!"

"Hmm?" came the voice from inside the tent she had just exited, the purple-haired owner of the voice emerging and taking notice of the rising smoke pillar on the horizon. "Our base... they found it! I have to-"

"NO!" Corona blurted suddenly, grabbing the other woman before she took off. "You can't! It's too late!"

The minor commotion woke Nanoha and Agito up, the former crawling out of her own smaller tent while the latter floated out of the domed one. While Nanoha at first wondered what it meant, Agito who took immediate action, flying up into Rio's angry face to slap it.

"Corona's right, if you go back there now, you'll just get caught or worse!" the little demon berated her, the logic of which finally penetrated the resistance leader's angry haze and made her go still. "Besides, it could mean almost anything, not that they were discovered. Maybe there was just an accident; you know Vice would get them clear ASAP."

"Givo..." Nanoha whispered, hoping somehow he had escaped. Once again, led to someone else paying a price.

Rio pulled out of Corona's grasp and hit her ear communicator. "Vice, can you read me? Lookout? Is anyone on this channel?"

All four were quiet as they waited several moments for a response. Rio's expression in particular continued to grow darker as the minutes ticked by, but no one answered her query.

"Dammit!" Rio growled, slamming her fist into a nearby tree. "Everything we've worked for all these years... gone! Why didn't the oracle warn us of this last time! We believed in him and the Saint!"

"Perhaps some managed to escape," Corona hopefully pointed out. "And we still have Nanoha. We just need to get her to the oracle and we can put an end to all of this."

Agito floated back over to the purple-haired woman's face. "She's right, Rio. We have to keep moving and hope for the best. Perhaps this was inevitable; we couldn't stay hidden forever. But _we_ are still here and we can still fight! We've only lost if we give up!"

Rio looked up at the little demon's firm face, then sighed. "Perhaps you're right. Come on, we need to get moving; Hayate's probably still looking for Nanoha, and so they'll be searching the area. They'll probably even know the direction we took if they interrogate the right people. If we double-time it, though, we can probably reach the oracle before sundown, hopefully ahead of any search parties."

Nanoha spared another glance back at the black smoke rising in the distance, realizing that it was because of her. Hayate was seemingly pursuing her at all costs, and if she hadn't associated with the rebels, they'd still have their safe haven. Somehow, the Bureau had been on her heels almost since she left Clanagan. Did they know where she was going or what she was up to? Was she somehow an unwitting spy?

As she rolled up her sleeping bag and mat, Nanoha glanced at her travel companions, her thoughts conflicted.

x~~*~~x

"Hayate reported that the shuttle jumped into hyperspace at a surprising speed," Vita said from the holo screen. "If Nanoha was on it, then she left the planet and is headed who knows where. She wants us to leave some troops here to finish pacifying this area, and prepare to chase her off-world."

"Ah, I expected as much," Signum replied, leaning back in her chair about her transport ship grounded near the rebel hideout. "Though I do not see where she could be headed, except perhaps to try and rally more terrorist troops. Still, I have already apologized to Hayate for letting them get away."

"Or perhaps it was just a rash escape," Vita noted. "At any rate, I'm in the process of interrogating the prisoners I managed to take. Perhaps one of them will-"

"General Vita!" a male voice interrupted her. "Pardon for the intrusion, but we have something we think you should hear. Among the prisoners we took were two other rebel leaders from more minor factions. One of them told us that Rio Wesley would be taking the target to see some mysterious source of theirs. They seemed to think this source had inside information on us, perhaps being some sort of spy."

"Could it be some sort of trick or misdirection?" Vita questioned. "Perhaps they want us to think the target is still on planet, instead of on that ship."

"Our interrogator believes it to be the truth," he replied. "The subject broke rather quickly, and admitted that Rio left with a small group yesterday."

"That would explain why we did not see the target in combat," Signum added, realizing the reason for Nanoha's absence. "There was no sign of Rio Wesley, either. I will pass word back to Hayate about this spy if you will organize the search parties."

Signum allowed her eyes to close after Vita nodded and turned from the screen, started barking orders to her men to form search parties; apparently, Nanoha was still on planet after all, which meant she wasn't on that shuttle heading to deep space. Was it a ruse? A misdirection? At the moment, the escape ship could be anywhere, so without further intel, they'd have to just go with their original plan of searching the immediate area. With the sheer number of troops at their command, scanning the nearby woods and mountains wouldn't take too long.

She had little doubt that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Nanoha would be theirs by the end of the day.

x~~*~~x

"Report," Fate commanded, still looking through her viewfinder, barely seeing the green structure hidden among the trees.

"Your intel appears to be correct, sir," her captain replied. "It's well-hidden, and there is a fairly strong barrier protecting the building. It will take us some time to breach."

Fate lowered her electronic binoculars to gaze out with her own eyes. "We'll need to do this just right. If she is really here, she might have have an escape plan; at the least, expect heavy resistance, so when we strike, we need to be as quick and decisive as possible. Spread out around it, but stay hidden; I'll breach the shield when it's time to strike and everyone is in position."

"Yes, sir," the Enforcer captain saluted. "Also, per your orders, Captain Vellis is in geosynchronous orbit above with an Arc-en-Ciel charged. She reports that she's ready to fire any time."

"Understood," the Enforcer commander replied. "Rejoin your men and await my signal to proceed."

Fate raised the binoculars again, calming her nerves with well-honed breathing techniques; if Schach had given the correct information, then Carim would be inside.

[And perhaps Vivio as well,] came the unbidden thought, which was the reason for the Arc-en-Ciel on standby. If worse came to worse, it may be the only thing that might stop the Sankt Kaiser that the church depended upon so heavily during the war.

Fate bit her lip; both her daughter and Carim had evaded the Bureau for nearly 20 years, but tonight could very well be the night that all ended. She wondered how they might have changed, and how exactly she'd respond to them. Could she turn her daughter back, and somehow become a family again? Or would she be forced to imprison them both, or make use of her last resort plan?

What made Fate apprehensive the most was not that she didn't know which it would be; it was that today, one way or another, she'd be confronted with the answers.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

If you didn't like the focus being off Nanoha for this chapter, don't worry; it was a brief sidetrip, and we'll get back to her more next chapter. I was initially going to call this chapter "Twilight" but a certain other series has totally ruined that word for me. =( Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter "The Wages of Sin" where old friends reconnect...


	14. The Wages of Sin

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 14: The Wages of Sin**

Xx~~*~~xX

The atmosphere was somber as the small group continued their trek. While the increasing elevation brought colder temperatures, including occasional patches of snow on the ground, the real chill came from within.

For Nanoha, it was thoughts of Givo, a young boy who had lost his mother, in part because of her; Training him and taking him under her wing were both in some part to make up for that. And yet with the Bureau taking the resistance hideout, his well-being was unknown;. Nanoha simply had to believe he was okay.

Belief was no stranger to Rio, either, as her own thoughts were consumed with how the organization she had spent years building was destroyed in a single morning. A group she had created and maintained because of her faith in Vivio, hoping the Saint Kaiser would return one day to help them finish the job that was started in the war. But as the years passed, it had become harder and harder to keep faith, yet somehow she did; she had to, in order to keep the morale of her unit up.

But that was all gone.

The next biggest feeling was the sense of betrayal over what the oracle had been telling her all these years, and the information he had passed on that had allowed them to remain undetected and execute an infrequent guerrilla campaign. She had only been told that her role would be important in things to come, and her faith would be rewarded one day.

[What was it all for?] she found herself wondering, hating herself as she could sense her own faith wavering.

Corona's thoughts were similar, but more supportive as she occasionally grabbed Rio's hand and squeezed while they walked, giving the other a tender, sad smile, as if to tell her they still had each other. Right now, Rio was beginning to feel as if that was all she had left.

The silence of the trip made descending into such thoughts all too easily, as the quartet focused on maintaining a healthy pace through rugged landscapes, slowly climbing higher and higher into the mountains. Even though they had a half-day head start and hadn't seen hide nor hair of their pursuit for five hours now, they were still in danger. They had to stick to the ground, while the Bureau could send its ships, drones and troops through the air.

It was a race to reach the oracle before Signum and Vita found them; a race Rio was determined not to lose. If they lost it here, then everything they had worked towards for the past twenty-five years would have been for naught.

She wouldn't let that happen, no matter what the cost.

x~~*~~x

It was an hour later when they first noticed the signs of pursuit.

Agito detected the approach of the ship first, and the four quickly took cover in some thick undergrowth underneath a large tree, listening as the low hum approached. The transport soon loomed overhead just below the cloud cover, like a monolith representing the oppressive power that the Bureau lorded over the people.

Nanoha found herself holding her breath, as if they could somehow pick up the merest traces of her respiration. For a moment she thought they had been detected, her heart climbing into her throat as several soldiers and a pair of sentinel drones dropped out of an open ramp on the underside of the ship, but then they took off in different directions and Nanoha finally exhaled.

"That has to be the outer edge of their search radius," Rio noted aloud as the four got up and resumed their trek, more wary than before.

"Rio..." Corona suddenly announced, lifting her binoculars and pointing, as if she had noticed something down the slope through the trees.

Rio looked through her own binoculars and cursed as Nanoha borrowed Corona's, now seeing the small group of soldiers and drones stationed in a narrow ravine pass on the other side of the small forested valley. She figured the trail they were on would somehow wind down the slope and up the other side to that ravine, which meant that their path was blocked.

"We're not going to make it," Corona deduced despairingly. "At this pace we're still a couple of hours away on foot, but if we have to go around, it'll take an extra day; they'll find us by then. If we could fly, we could go right over them, but the sentinels would detect the magic use."

Rio lowered her binoculars and very audibly exhaled, then started to unhook her backpack. "Corona, Agito, you're gonna have to take Nanoha ahead to the oracle."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Agito angrily demanded to know. "Don't tell me you're thinking of playing decoy?"

The purple-haired woman turned around and nodding, smiling slightly. "I'll head off in different direction and make a big enough racket for all of us to get their attention, leading the majority of the army away on a merry chase. That should give you three space to fly and bust straight through that small group. By the time they realize what's up, you should be far enough away to speak with the oracle, and he should at least know how to hide you guys."

"That's stupid!" the little demon declared. "We have no idea how many are out there. We also know both Signum and Vita have been called back to Mid-Childa, and if they brought even half their armies with them, you'd never survive!"

"Agito is right, Rio, don't do this," Nanoha beseeched her, getting tired of everyone else somehow paying a price for her. "I can't have anyone else making these kinds of sacrifices for me! We don't even know what I'm supposed to do yet."

The little demon nodded. "Yeah, you see? What if Nanoha needs you? So, Corona, tell her how stupid this is!"

The three glanced over at the other woman, who had her head down and fists clenched at her sides, but then slowly reached up to unhook her own pack. "Agito's right. And Rio is right."

"Oh hell," Agito groused, slapping her forehead with her palm.

"Corona?" Rio questioned. "There's no need for you to..." She trailed off as the other woman stomped up to her and poked her in the chest.

"Didn't we promise way back when that we'd see everything through together?" Corona reminded her, her voice quiet and gentle, yet somehow retaining a sense of fierce conviction. "You're not getting out of this that easy. And with two of us, we'll make a bigger distraction. Agito can take Nanoha; she's been there before and knows the way."

Rio slowly grinned as she gazed into Corona's tempestuous eyes, and then chuckled. "Heh, I suppose we did. I can't think of anyone else I'd want to go down in fire with." She glanced over at Agito. "And you'll just have to trust that the oracle doesn't need us. At any rate, we only need to create a distraction for an hour or so, then we'll surrender if we can't get away. They'll want us alive if possible, so you can rescue us later."

"Both of you are nuts!" Agito nearly shouted, then crossed her arms over her chest in disdain. "Bah, this is why I've always hated that stupid faith of yours; overrules commons sense."

"Take good care of Nanoha," Rio told the little demon, hugging her.

Nanoha gazed at the two women, about to watch yet more people sacrifice themselves for her. "Rio... Corona... you can't-"

"It's okay, Nanoha," Corona said, smiling. "I won't let either of us die out there."

Rio extended her hand, and grinned. "Yeah, trust us; you'll see us again. We're all counting on you, and I know you can do it."

Nanoha glanced down at the offered palm, then firmed up and took it; she would just have to have faith. "It's a promise; I'll see two again."

She held their gazes for a moment, then Rio turned to Corona. "Alright, let's get this show on the road! Nanoha, wait for our signal."

The cloned mage nodded, watching in worry as the two women dashed off through the forest.

x~~*~~x

"Getting a faint magic reading in sector 014," a female tech said from the bridge of Vita's transport ship. "Confirmed, we have hostiles engaging our forces. They appear to be trying to break through to the east; bringing it up on screen."

Vita leaned forward to study it, watching as a white line connected the flashing red dots, indicating magic usage. "It looks like they decided to stop hiding and make a break for it. Focus on tracking and general containment, but be wary of direction confrontation. I'm going down to engage personally."

"Roger, relaying message to all units," the tech replied.

Vita hoisted Graf Eisen and headed for the bridge exit. "Signum, you getting this?"

On her own ship, the other Wolkenritter General leaned forward in her chair as the screens came up. "Ah, I am. You are closer, but I will approach from the other side to pin them between us; I should be in position in 10 minutes."

Signum steepled her fingers as she leaned back; something about this didn't feel quite right. Were they really so hard pressed to come out fighting now before they had even a third of the area searched? Or was it another delaying tactic? Signum retraced the route indicated by the white zigzagging line, then drew another line linking that with the location of the rebel base, studying the display she had created thoughtfully.

x~~*~~x

"HIYAH!" Rio cried, grinning as she darted next to another soldier in the air and lashed out with her right leg in a spin kick that shattered his armor and sent him down to the forest floor. "You'll have to do better than that to take down Rio Wesley!"

A green beam flashed from the ground, taking out another soldier who was moving into position behind the floating resistance leader, as Corona sighed from inside her golem. "[Is there really a need to be so... flashy?]"

"[I have an image to maintain!]" Rio shot back, flying between shots to take out soldiers left and right with expertly placed punches and kicks. "[And yes, I want payback.]"

Corona didn't respond to that; she didn't need to. Instead, she focused on moving her golem along at a good clip, covering Rio from the ground and leaving a trail of bent and broken trees behind her. They were at least attracting attention, but she inwardly wondered if it was enough to cover for Nanoha and Agito, who should have made their own move by now. They only needed to hold out for an hour so that Nanoha could learn what she needed to know at the oracle, and Corona was confident he'd have some way of getting them all out of this.

She launched a spinning knuckle that exploded in the midst of a trio of flying soldiers, then jabbed her golem's wrist into the ground to replace it while rotating her screen to survey the situation. Most of the soldiers weren't really engaging, just sniping from range and seemingly trying to herd them. She realized that fact awhile ago, but didn't consider it important; in the end, she realized they'd end up being captured.

But then she noticed who they were being herded to.

"[Rio, look out!]" she called to the other woman telepathically. "[It's Vita!]"

The flying resistance leader just barely got up a barrier to block as the pointed rocket hammer slammed into it. For a brief moment, the two women locked gazes, then Vita grinned and a split second later the shield shattered and exploded, sending Rio careening through the sky to the forest below.

"Rio!" Corona called, increasing the speed of her golem's lumbering gait and firing her green head beam as Vita dove after her opponent; it glanced off Vita's hastily-formed triangular shield, but it succeeded in distracting her from her target.

The general cursed and changed direction, shouting, "So, are you hiding that Nanoha clone in there! I'll crack it open like an egg!"

Corona barely had time to get her left arm up to block the attack, but the impact shattered the limb at the forearm, sending the golem stumbling back. But Vita made a second rotation allowing her rocketing hammer to twirl her around and slam into the golem's left side. Corona managed to partially twist out of the way as she continued to stumble back, but Vita's attack left a large diagonal gash on the golem's chest, exposing the girl within.

For a second, Corona's shocked and worried face met Vita's angry glower, the former realized she was exposed and vulnerable. Then Rio was suddenly there with a lightning punch that Vita was forced to dodge away from, giving Corona a moment to breathe and reform her arm and chest.

"I'm going to give you one chance to answer!" Vita shouted, darting between the trees as she clashed with the resistance leader. "Where is the clone?"

"She left to the south a long time ago!" Rio yelled back.

Vita growled, then hit her communicator. "Signum, Nanoha isn't here! They must have her stashed somewhere else!"

x~~*~~x

"I am aware of that," Signum answered calmly, her sword raised.

Nanoha and Agito stared back at her from several meters away, the former raising her staff while the latter gazed grimly back at her former master. Several soldiers arrived in the area as the trio watched each other, surrounding them, and causing Nanoha to wonder how they'd get out of this one.

"Signum," Agito finally uttered, her tiny fists clenching. "You did survive."

"Ah," the Belkan knight replied. "And now I must ask you both to surrender yourselves to my authority. I would not recommend any attempt at fighting or escape."

"Like hell!" the little demon cursed loudly. "We still haven't settled things, and you're still breaking Zest's promise! Unless you've reconsidered? This is Nanoha here, and she can put an end to this corruption. She can turn Hayate and the Bureau back to the way it was supposed to be!"

For several moments, Signum gazed steadily at the pair, then shook her head slightly. "Regrettably, I cannot. Surrender, or you leave me no choice."

Agito's angry grimace deepened, as she sent a telepathic message. "[Nanoha, I need your help; I can't stop her alone. If we unison, we can beat her!]"

The cloned woman was wondering whether Agito would choose to fight or run, and sent back her own reply. "[I'm up to it, but are you sure you're okay with fighting her?]" She still remembered fighting Signum before and despite lacking Raging Heart, she felt confident enough about her own skills and knowledge of her opponent's style; with Agito's help, it should be possible. The only issue is whether Agito could fight her former master.

"[Yes, I am,]" the little demon replied, slowly and casually floating in front of Nanoha.. "Then you leave me no choice, either. Unison, IN!"

The next instant, Agito merged with Nanoha as the latter put up a Protection barrier, the blue sections of her barrier jacket turning crimson to match her now flaming-red hair, while the soldiers fired. The spherical shield held for a short moment, before it exploded and Nanoha used the smoke screen cover to shoot straight up.

"[Let my magic merge with yours,]" Agito told her from within, gathering her fire energy.

Nanoha began her first spell as they flew, and the duo spoke together: "Pyro Shooter." Several crimson orbs winked into existence, forming a ring around her body.

Signum and the soldiers were hot on their trail, although at the speeds they were traveling the latter were beginning to fall behind. Nanoha decided the thin the herd a bit first and thus twisted to face backwards, letting off her first shots.

"Shoot!" she cried, sending the dozen crimson spheres streaking back towards her pursuers.

Signum powered on through, twirling in mid-air to slice the shots as they approached. However, the orbs exploded upon contact instead of simply dissolving, catching the Belkan knight off-guard and temporarily knocking her off course. The rest continued right on by, though, heading for their true target: the soldiers behind her. The spheres that didn't find a target simply exploded, producing a fiery flak effect that knocked several closely flying troops out of the sky. Signum recovered just in time to see Nanoha had prepared another salvo.

"SHOOT!" came the cry again as the spell was released.

Signum's eyes widened as more of the orbs came straight for her with frightening speed, faster than she could dodge, and thus she calmly raised her sword in front of her face as Levanteinn spoke. "_Panzergeist_!"

The knight general was enveloped with black smoke from the explosions as several magic missiles found her, but Nanoha was forced to slow down in response to dozens of troops appearing in front of her. She took off at an angle preparing to dodge their attacks, but strangely the soldiers didn't attack.

"[It looks like they're just trying to keep us from escaping,]" Agito told her, confirming Nanoah's suspicion. "[Signum probably wants us for herself, and I think we should oblige her.]"

"[I agree,]" Nanoha replied, turning to face the fading cloud of black smoke, although a bit uncomfortable with limited space available due to the soldiers ringing the area; she would have appreciated more than a couple hundred meters of flight room. "[If we take her out, we may intimidate the others enough to let us go.]"

"_Schlangenform_!" came Levanteinn's call as the segmented sword whip shot out of the cloud on a direct course for the unionsed duo.

Nanoha poured magic into her Axel Fin wings, showcasing exactly why she was known as the aerial Ace of Aces, avoiding the homing, coiling whip with agility and precision. But dodging only went so far, and she realized she needed to regain the initiative as Signum slowly boxed her in; she also needed a stronger spell. Agito picked up on it, and Nanoha felt the fire energy surging throughout her body, merging with her own mana.

She picked her moment, turning to point Randy's staff and pausing momentarily as the two spoke their next combined spell. "BLAST FIRE!"

The crimson-colored Divine Buster beam erupted from the tip of the staff towards the stationary Signum, giving the knight general a choice; stay and be hit, or dodge it and lose the forming coiled cage. Signum apparently chose the latter, retracting Levantein and barely twisting out of the way as the shot grazed her, shredding the barrier jacket on her right arm.

Signum's gaze was near expressionless as the two eyed each other, but Nanoha read a little of something else there. It wasn't hesitancy, as her opponent wasn't giving any quarter, and nor was it totally sadness; Signum was, above all else, a warrior born and wouldn't back down in any fight.

However, before she could contemplate it further, the fight resumed, her erstwhile adversary charging in with surprising speed; Signum recognized it as well, that Nanoha held the advantage if she could keep combat at a distance, and thus was trying to take it to melee range.

Nanoha flew backwards, firing off another spread of Pyro Shooter missiles to give her a distraction, but Signum set her sword ablaze and powered on through with increasing velocity, the explosions only causing light damage to her armor due to her speed. The cloned mage was forced to throw up a round shield with her right hand as the fiery sword came in and both poured their magic into the conflict, tension in the air as to whether Nanoha's barrier would hold up.

Then Nanoha brought up the staff in her left hand, as their next combined spell was completed. "Rubellite!"

Binds encircled Signum's wrists and body, but the Belkan knight only grinned. "I knew you'd do that. Levanteinn!"

To the unisoned duo's surprise, Levanteinn popped another cartridge and engaged it's snake-form again, shooting out to coil over the shield and lash Nanoha's backside as the latter attempted to get away. Then she was clear, grimacing in pain due to the cold wind biting the magical burns on her now-exposed back; it was a price that had to be paid, since now she could work up a Starlight Breaker on the bound Signum and end the fight.

"[Nanoha!]" Agito cried in warning, although she didn't need to since her partner saw it.

The fiery coil of Levanteinn's snake form wasn't pursuing her, but arcing back around straight towards Signum, slashing against the binds on her right arm and breaking them. Nanoha instantly realized that since Signum was using her sword to break the crimson binds, she wouldn't have time to work up a Starlight Breaker and instead needed to attack with something now.

Agito responded to her thought patterns as she aimed her staff again while Signum's second wrist bind was broken. "Blast FIRE!"

Rather than cut her remaining binds, Signum quickly shielded against the onslaught, bringing her scabbard around with her other hand and joining it to her sword. "Sturm Falken!"

Nanoha's eyes widened as the arrow beam of light pierced her beam while it traveled straight for her. Due to the speed of the attack, she could only barely to dodge it by leaning back so it grazed the front of her barrier jacket instead of making full contact. But as she came back up to find Signum, she found the Belkan Knight gone. Frantically scanning the area, she turned just in time to see her opponent speeding in and this time Nanoha knew she wouldn't even get a shield up in time, instead barely managing to reflexively raise her staff to block.

Time seemed to slow down as she stared in horror while Levanteinn easily cleaved straight through Randy's staff, continuing on to slice along her left side and opening a long gash in her barrier jacket.

Then time seemed to resumed as normal, and Nanoha went tumbling to the forest below.

x~~*~~x

"Go go go!" came the call over the tacnet from her second as Fate destroyed the barrier and charged in, her Enforcers pouring in through all entrances immediately after.

They moved swiftly and professionally, as Fate herself had hand-picked and trained each of them, covering all avenues so that none could escape. The only problem was that there seemed to be no one to do any escaping at all. It was a fairly large house, almost as big as a medium church, but so far all of her squad commanders had reported no contacts.

Where was everyone?

Fate was growing concerned that Schach had lied to her, or that the occupants had been warned and made their escape long ago, but those fears were soon negated. As she threw open a wooden door on the top level at the end of a staircase, she found her target sitting there at a table, seemingly waiting and unsurprised.

"Well, so this is where you were," Fate intoned, striding in as her Enforcers spilled into the large bedroom and flanked both sides. "And I get the impression you aren't surprised to see me."

Carim managed a sad half-smile. "You could say that."

"One of your prophecies tell you I would come for you?" Fate asked, curious as she walked up to the table opposite her quarry. "Or, deep down, did you realize I'd come for you one day because of what you did to my daughter?"

"A little of both, maybe, but... even you must know it was... what Vivio wanted," Carim replied, seemingly with a bit of difficulty, almost like she was having trouble focusing. She'd space out for a half-second in between phrases. "And it tore her apart... to know she'd end up fighting you."

"Commander, her chair," Fate's second-in-command pointed out.

Blinking, Fate shoved the table out of the way, now noticing Carim in an advanced wheelchair that appeared to be interfaced with her body somehow. "What have you done to yourself?"

Carim's eyes seemed to go unfocused for a moment, before returning to the present. "What would you do... if you knew the exact day and hour... of your death?"

The question caught the Enforcer commander off guard. "I'm not sure... but I suppose it wouldn't matter as long I continued to fight until the last to make it count. But right now, I just want to know where Vivio is; she's obviously not here."

"She never was," the wheelchair-bound woman confirmed, then her body shivered for a brief moment as if she had just had a short seizure. "Tell me, Fate... do you believe in fate?"

"No, the future is what we make of it," Fate replied, growing tired of these vague questions and responses.

"Yes, that is... what he thought, too, but... due to my skill, I cannot believe the same," Carim said cryptically, then her eyes rolled up into her head as she had another short seizure.

"Commander," came the voice in her communicator. "We've fully secured the premises, but haven't found anyone. All magic enchantments were dispelled, but there are no signs of any escape tunnels or secret rooms. The place is empty. We're in the process of hacking the encrypted computer system now."

"Thank you, Captain, keep me apprised of your progress," she answered, then turned back to Carim. "So, not only is Vivio _not_ here, but no one else is, either."

"Yes, I... sent them away," Carim confirmed, then coughed a few times, Fate noticing that she didn't raise her hand to cover her mouth at all. "I am the only one... you were after."

Fate raised an eyebrow. "So you turned yourself into a sacrifice?"

The sad half-smile returned. "Yes, I suppose... you could say I am."

"Well, you're wrong about one thing; it's not just you I'm after," Fate told her, shaking her head, realizing it was pointless to continue this conversation here. "But if you won't tell me where Vivio is now, I'll have to take you to my ship, and I don't think you'll find it pleasant. Schach didn't. Captain, secure the prisoner and escort her to her holding cell. I'll deal with her there."

As her Enforcers wheeled Carim out, Fate glanced around at the sparse bedroom, wondering if there were any secrets here for her to find and what Carim was hiding; whatever it was, Fate was confident she would find out eventually.

One thing she did know for sure: it wasn't just Vivio's location that Carim was concealing.

x~~*~~x

Vita twirled and slammed her hammer into Rio as the latter charged at her, impacting a barrier but eventually pushing through and knocking the resistance leader out of the air. Continuing to turn and adjusting her angle of attack, she activated Graf Eisen's Gigantform and rammed Corona's golem, sending it tumbling along the ground. She paused for a moment to catch her breath, studying her two adversaries; Rio was nursing her right arm, while Corona repaired her golem once more, but slower this time.

"It's over," Vita told them solemnly, panting, knowing she held the edge in sheer endurance and was going to outlast both of them. "You both put up a good fight, but we have Nanoha now. Signum is about to take her into custody."

"You're lying!" Rio growled while ascending back into the air.

"[Corona, I have to-]" Rio started to say telepathically.

"[I know,]" the other woman replied soberly. "[Go. I'll cover for you. If they get Nanoha, everything is over.]"

"Surrender, and your lives will be spared," Vita told them. "There's no reason to fight anymore, and you can't win."

"Like hell!" Rio shouted back, floating into position while gathering her magic; she needed to make this just right. "Meteor Rush!"

Her extended fist burst into flames as she took off like a flaming comet, straight at Vita. The Hammer Knight barely got out of the way, and then realized she wasn't the target as Rio sped off into the distance, her feet ablaze like twin rockets. The soldiers who had encircled the area attempted to stop her, but they were easily batted aside when Rio barreled straight on through their shields.

Growling, Vita turned to pursue, preparing a barrage of steel orbs. "You won't get away!"

"Oh no you don't!" Corona yelled, bringing her golem's hands together and slamming them into the ground. "Megalith Yoke!"

Spikes of stone shot up from the ground that Vita danced out of the way from, but impalement wasn't their goal; dozens more shot up until she engulfed in a rocky teepee cage. The confinement didn't last long, however, as Vita activated Graf Eisen's rocket form; the top of the pyramid promptly exploded , but Vita continued to twirl, bashing the the two spinning fists that were flying straight at her and reducing them to gravel.

"I thought you would have learned-" Vita started to say as she glanced down at the stone golem, but it was unmoving and she instantly she realized something was wrong.

The broken top of the stone spikes exploded behind her, and as the hammer knight turned back, Corona emerged with her stone-covered right fist extended, striking her opponent square on the jaw. Vita spun in mid-air as she fell to the forest floor below, but managed to recover and stabilize her flight before she hit, turning to stare up at the other woman who had assumed a fighting stance atop her stone pedestal.

"You and I have unfinished business," Corona told her in a near-casual voice, but with a hint of challenge. "From twenty years ago. Let's go."

Vita grit her teeth as she glared, gripping Graf Eisen tighter. "So be it."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha managed to pull herself to her feet while holding her left side, gritting her teeth against the pain as her opponent descended from the sky. Not only was she injured, but she had lost both parts of Randy's staff in the fall.

"It's over," Signum told her. "Without your weapon, we both know you can't stand against me."

"[Nanoha,]" came Agito's voice, something in the tone that cloned mage couldn't quite detect. "[There's only one thing left, a spell I've been holding in reserve, but we'll need to separate and I'll need you to provide a moment's distraction, then get clear. I'll leave a fireball spell in your left hand, and a bind in your right. I'm also leaving you a mental map to the oracle's cave; promise me you'll head straight there as soon as you can.]"

Nanoha gazed warily at Signum as the Belkan knight landed, then slowly approached. "[Alright, I promise. You're sure this spell of yours will work?]"

Agito smiled grimly. "[It will. Ready?]"

Nanoha's left hand caught fire as she lifted it. "Crossfire Blaze!"

Signum easily shielded against it as the burning flamethrower spell reached her. "Give it up; without your device you cannot channel enough mana to defeat me now."

"Maybe," Nanoha replied, then executed a flash move to end up behind her opponent, releasing the bind spell. "But I can do this!"

Signum had already begun to turn when she was ensnared, but almost immediately she began to break the low-magic spell. "As I said, without your device it's-"

She paused, eyes widening as she realized Nanoha had returned to normal; the unison had been canceled. Then she felt something attach to her backside while Nanoha began to fly away.

"Agito, what are you-"

"It's over, Signum," the little demon informed her as her body began to glow a brilliant orange. "This is where we end things, like we promised so long ago."

Signum's eyes widened. "No, Agito, don't! You don't und-"

In the next instant, Agito exploded.

x~~*~~x

"[Hayate!]" Rein exclaimed, but her shout was unnecessary, as her mistress felt it at the same time.

The pain shot through them both, momentarily making Hayate clench her hands on the armrests of her command chair while gritting her teeth. Then it was over, and she made a fist, slamming it against her chair, anger surging through her, before leaping to her feet.

"For the next four hours, I am not to be disturbed," she called over her shoulder to the three technicians who manned the consoles.

They didn't respond; the ones chosen this duty were very selectively chosen and cultivated to take every command without argument or emotion, so Hayate knew she didn't have to repeat herself with them.

A section of wall slid open behind her chair, and she entered the darkness beyond while bringing out her book, flipping pages as the unisoned duo summoned their magic. The wall slid shut behind them, locking, as a larger magic circle already present on the floor reacted, glowing brightly.

"Initialize Lazarus program," Hayate intoned as she felt Rein respond. "Begin linker core reconstitution..."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha landed in front of the cave, following the mental map Agito had left her, then stumbled into the side of the mountain and steadied herself as she clutched her injured left side. She had mostly sealed the wound, but it still hurt and she had lost some blood and burned up a lot of her stamina and magic; but that wasn't what hurt her the most.

Despite her best efforts tears were continuing to leak out, the memory of of what had happened was still fresh in her mind. She could still see the brilliant orangeish-red explosion that started as a small dome and grew to a great column of fire that spread to encompass hundreds of meters worth of forest. Agito had blown herself up, another sacrifice, in order to defeat Signum and give her the chance to escape.

[Dammit,] Nanoha swore to herself. [I should have seen it coming!]

The explosion had the nice side effect of making the soldiers scramble for cover, the shock, confusion, and bright flash providing enough cover for Nanoha to speedily slip through their net. She might have been tailed, but at this point, she didn't care; she was tired of people sacrificing themselves for her, as if she was some sort of messiah. Sick of being somehow prophesied to save the world.

[That's right, the oracle,] she remembered, straightening up and steeling herself while walking into the cave. Her life since awakening had been nothing but questions, and someone here could finally explain what the hell was going on.

It was time to get some answers.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

As you can probably guess, there will be many answers forthcoming next chapter. Not everything, of course, but enough to fill in pieces of the puzzle so you can start getting an idea.


	15. Triumvirate Reunion

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 15: Triumvirate Reunion**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha emerged from the short tunnel into a large cavern, lit by the soft green bio-luminescent glow of fungus growing over several crystal deposits. In the middle of the cavern loomed the still waters of a large lake, small pieces of ice floating upon the surface, but no sign of any oracle, or anyone else for that matter.

Growing frustrated at everything that had happened, and what she had gone through thus far, Nanoha raised her voice, no longer caring who heard. "I'M HERE! That's what you wanted, right? You wanted me to come here, so here I am! Why are you hiding?"

No reply was immediately forthcoming, and at first Nanoha wondered if Agito had been wrong or Rio and Corona had been misled; perhaps it all was a sick joke or perhaps the oracle was no longer here. The then waters of the lake began to churn, twisting and spiraling into the center, as a green light emerged from the center of the whirlpool and formed a sketchy image of an old man whose physical features were mostly obscured by a robe; all she could see were was a beard protruding from the darkened hood.

"Welcome, Takamachi Nanoha," a somewhat distorted voice echoed around her, making her wonder at how her full name had been used. "I have been awaiting your arrival."

Someone was projecting this holographic image, she realized, but it wasn't enough to impress her. "So now what? Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Her voice had started low, but slowly gained volume as the questions continued to burst forth. "Why I was cloned in the first place? What was so important that so many had to be sacrificed just for me? You're supposed to have all these answers, right?"

The hologram was silent for a moment, but when he spoke again, his voice was heavy. "I am truly sorry for what you had to go through, and if it wasn't so important, I wouldn't have had done so. But all the hopes of the people, those still living, are depending on you. I cannot make you do anything, but if you desire answers, step into the pool; you shall find them at the bottom."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow as she glared at him, the offer was tempting, but for some reason she found herself hesitant. "Why not explain right here and now? And why hide yourself like that from me, Carim?"

"Bureau soldiers approach, and our time here is limited," the oracle told her as the image began to fade. "Enter the pool for your answers, or walk away. The choice is yours."

Growling in frustration as she began to hear voices echoing from outside, she glanced at the ice floating in the water and strengthened her auto-barrier. As tired as she was dancing to someone else's tune, she realized there was only one thing for her to do, and thus entered the lake. She could still feel a bit of the chill from the near-freezing water though her barrier protected her from most of it, but continued to wonder what exactly she was supposed to find down there.

Eventually the water reached her waist, and she took a breath and dove, using her magic to keep her body temperature up while swimming through the near crystal-clear water. There, at the bottom of the lake she found what she suspected; a device of some kind, probably the hologram emitter. Curious, she alighted atop the platform and begin to check for controls, but finding none and with her lungs starting to burn, she considered surfacing. However, the platform suddenly began to glow, and before she could even begin to wonder what was going on, she felt the familiar twist of teleportation.

And then it was over and Nanoha was gasping for breath while stumbling sideways and grasping onto a railing on the teleportation pad, inhaling heavily to catch her breath while the light died off, finding herself in a dry room.

"Welcome, Nanoha," the oracle's male voice came again, but this time without any distortion, the tone familiar, while a pair of strong hands steadied her. "You can release your barrier jacket, as you are safe here. And we can treat your wound."

Her head came up as her eyes adjusted to the slightly darkened room, and in particular to the supposed oracle while his hands began to heal her side, things clicking into place in her mind. "You're..."

One of his hands went up to pull back the hood, baring his face, eyes twinkling as he smiled. Nanoha's mouth dropped open; even with the beard, she recognized him in a heartbeat

"Yuuno-kun!"

x~~*~~x

"Carim!" Schach cried as two Enforcer's brought the woman into the brig, carrying her limp form between them by her armpits and then tossed their prisoner into the cell next to hers. "Don't hurt her!"

The Enforcers ignored Schach's protests, however, and sealed the cell door after depositing Carim, leaving afterward. Schach figured that they brought the two together to see if they could overhear any information, but at this point she didn't care.

"Are you alright?" Schach asked.

"Twilight approaches, the shadows move..." came the weak, delirious voice. "The demon has stirred..."

The combat nun was fine taking whatever Fate dished out since she was used to being hurt in combat, but having that happen to Carim was almost more than she could bear. "What did they do to you?"

"It's okay, sister...," Carim's voice told her, approaching a moment of lucidity "Everything will be okay... Have faith..."

Schach grit her teeth. "Dammit, Carim, why?"

"Fate..." was the only response, before Carim seemingly went unconscious.

Left alone again with her thoughts, Schach wondered what Carim meant by that. Was she referring to the Enforcer Fate? Or to a sequence of events that would happen regardless of what one did? Did she really think what was happening was unavoidable? Or had she just slipped back into delirium?

Schach slammed her fist against the wall, almost hating times like this when faith was all she had to go on.

x~~*~~x

"You're the oracle!" Nanoha questioned in disbelief. "I thought it would be Carim, because of the whole twice a year future reading... Wait, does that mean you were the one who contacted Jail to have me cloned...?"

He nodded. "And I'm sorry for that. If there were another way, I would have let you rest in peace. But due to one of Carim's prophecies, I realized we'd need your help so I gave Jail your genetic material in order to have a clone made. In the meantime, I've been relaying Carim's messages to Rio's resistance group in the form of intel."

Her eyes widened at the realization. "Oh wait, Rio and Corona are still back there, probably prisoners of Hayate! They diverted enough of the Bureau army that I was able to get here. We have to save them!"

"I'm afraid the teleportation is only one way, and the other pad was disabled once you used it," he told her. "It was programmed to recognize your DNA and activate, then self-destruct. Even if they are prisoners, Hayate will keep them alive for interrogation, so you'll have a chance to rescue them."

"But not Agito," Nanoha told him darkly.

"Why?" he asked, his voice full of concern. "What happened?"

Nanoha felt her hands clenching. "She gave her life to enable me to get here. So it's time you told me everything. If Carim saw things, why didn't she see Rio's resistance group falling? Why didn't she see what would happen to Agito?"

"She couldn't see everything," Yuuno replied softly, sorrow in his tone. He turned and took several steps away, a door opening on the far side that brought light into the room. "But if you'll walk with me a bit, I'll try to answer all your questions."

The light enabled her to see that the room was some sort of workshop and communications room, probably darkened to enable the holographic transmitter to work better. Nanoha sighed, realizing that she had been pushed along this far already, so she might as well continue that for now.

"Alright," she said at last, taking up a position beside him as he led her out and down a hallway, feeling a sense of warmth and nostalgia as she glanced at his wizened face. "It is good to see you again."

He half-smiled, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "It's good to see you, too. Your loss affected us all greatly. Now, where do you want to start?"

Nanoha suddenly realized she had so many questions, that she didn't know where to begin, either, but settled on one of the more prominent ones in her mind. "Why me? Why bring me back from the dead and have Jail do it?"

"Despite how far technology has come, Jail is still the best at cloning, and for our plans to work, we needed as exact a clone as we could get," he informed her. "Especially with strengthened magic powers."

"Uno told me I was somewhere above SSS rank, though I don't feel any different," she admitted as they turned a corner, her attention partially noting the candles and paintings that occasionally dotted the walls. "But I don't see why."

Yuuno appeared to hesitate for a second. "Partly because of how you died."

His statement made her realize that she had never really heard exactly how it happened. "It had to do with some lost logia, right?"

He nodded. "One that was going out of control in Clanagan, that would have engulfed the whole city and probably would have taken out a good portion of the planet as well, if you hadn't stopped it. Before it went off, though, we had received an anonymous report that it was there, somewhere, and 'good luck trying to stop it' as the warning message said. I wasn't on planet at the time, but Fate told me later that you were the one to find it, although it had already 'exploded' at the time into a slowly-growing white dome cloud of mana. Based on what they could learn, the lost logia was collecting the mana, and when it had enough, it would detonate. A very potent magical bomb."

"And I stopped it?" Nanoha deduced. "How?"

"You volunteered to go into the concentrated mana cloud come and use Raging Heart to gather the magic for a continuous Starlight Breaker," he explained, pausing as they reached a staircase that led up. "Essentially, bleed off all the explosive power the device was building up until it was small enough that it could be sealed. If it was sealed off too soon, before the mana was drained away, there was still a chance it would have gone out of control and destroyed most of Clanagan.

His smile turned sad as he gazed upward. "And you did it. But by the time you drained the last of the mana away, enough for the device to be sealed... well, they said your body was beyond recovery. At the time, we assumed it was because you processed so much mana, but some of Shamal's later examinations didn't quite fit with that. To this day, we don't know exactly what happened in there."

There was a moment of silence, then he ascended the staircase and Nanoha numbly followed him, her body tingling strangely. It all sounded like something she would do, but it was somehow strange to hear about the circumstances of one's own death.

"So why clone me?" Nanoha asked at last as they reached the top of the stairs, exiting out of what looked to be a basement.

Yuuno paused again, turning to gaze at her seriously. "Because you'll need to take her place, when you travel back in time."

x~~*~~x

"Commander, I think we have something."

Fate turned to the holographic screen as it opened up, displaying one of her Enforcers. "Report."

"The computer system itself is well-scrambled, with almost everything of importance deleted and overwritten, but they didn't get everything," he replied. "Some of the communication encoded log headers were still recoverable, and although the messages themselves are gone, we may be able to trace where they came from once we decode them."

"Send me what you have," she told him, analyzing the data stream. He was right, the data was mostly gone, scrambled, but there did appear to be quite a few pieces and she could almost detect some patterns. "Continue working on this, and let me know when you have something."

"Yes, sir," he replied, promptly signing off.

Something about those message headers continued to bug her, as if she had seen them before. Closing her eyes, she allowed her mind to drift with the topic of the headers just lightly hanging on the edge of her thoughts, a well-rehearsed mental technique for tracking down isolated bits of information. An image of a message screen appeared in her mind's eye, the header's scrambled, but still having that tinge of familiarity. Then the image clarified as more was added to it; the picture of a room, in a house, and the sender's face.

Her eyes flashed open while she frowned and reopened the communications link to her Enforcer; she knew who it was, and had a pretty good idea how to decode it and thus tell where they came from.

x~~*~~x

"Time travel?" Nanoha wondered aloud, disbelievingly. "That's impossible!"

"Improbable, but not impossible," came a new female voice, drawing attention to the side. "And incredibly difficult. But don't worry, I had the same reaction when he told me."

Nanoha turned to find the female speaker standing in the doorway, smiling while pushing a pair of glasses up her nose. "Shari!"

The elderly woman closed the distance to hug her. "Hello, Nanoha, long time no see!"

"Likewise!" Nanoha echoed, pulling back to look at her, having a thought. "Is there anyone else here? Carim or Vivio perhaps?"

Shari's face dropped a bit, the enthusiasm being replaced by a solemn silence. "No, just us two, I'm sorry. But speaking of Carim, perhaps you'd better explain first, dear."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "Dear?"

Yuuno finally turned around, and Nanoha was surprised to actually see an embarrassed smile on his face. "Well, yes, we've been married for 25 years after all, right before the war. Long before that, though, I had actually gone underground to do my studies, and later got Shari to help."

"Working side by side for several years in secret, I guess we sort of naturally fell in love," the device technician added with a gentle smile. "Well, I suppose since we were both scientists, we kinda operated on a similar-enough wavelength. But anyway, dinner is ready, so let's continue the conversation in the dining room."

Nanoha wanted to ask more about them as the trio sat down to eat, but decided to let the explanations proceed at their own pace; there was still a lot she didn't know, and right now, she was having a hard time forming useful questions. Instead, she just found herself noticing the small looks and ease the couple had around each other; it reminded her a lot of Vice and Alto, and brought her a bit of warmth to know that at least some people were finding happiness. But with the thought of the latter couple, her heart dropped back down as she didn't know what had happened to them. Did they survive? Were they captured?

Nanoha picked up her silverware and began to eat, trying to push those questions out of her mind for now and focus on the present.

"Anyway, as I was saying, it was actually Carim's unique skill that got me thinking all those years ago," Yuuno started up again as they ate. "You know how she gets her readings twice a year, when the moons align?"

"Yes, and it takes the form of ancient Belkan poems," Nanoha confirmed, recalling the explanation she had received so long ago. "I remember you helped with the translation of the one dealing with the Cradle and JS incident."

He nodded. "Well, I became curious about it, and so began to look up Carim's genealogy and the history of her family. Quite a few members of her family tree had the ability, but they didn't all take the exact same form. While Carim's specific form interprets it as Belkan poems, others went into seizures and blurted things out, while one particular person was blind from birth and could actually see future events from time to time. The common thread in all of them was gaining knowledge of future events. Or to phrase it another way, interpreting knowledge sent back from the future during times when the two moons of Mid-Childa aligned."

Nanoha begin to see what he was getting at. "So, you're saying their information actually comes from the future? How does that help time travel?"

"That's where he got me into this," Shari interjected at Yuuno's nod. "I helped analyze Carim's linker core when she used her special skill. Strictly speaking, since time and space are related, time travel isn't impossible. For instance, you can travel rapidly into the future if you can approach the speed of light, but the amount of energy required is astronomical. Standard hyperspace travel simply bypasses the speed of light limit."

"Which makes it improbable like you said before," Nanoha realized, as she cut off another piece of cooked meat, unsure exactly what animal it came from. "But you're talking about sending me back through time."

The two glanced at each other, before Shari continued again. "It appears to be a natural event unique to Mid-Childa. The two moons possess a lot of mana, and twice a year they align, one behind the other, and combine their effects on the surface of Mid-Childa. My readings indicate a small tear in the space-time continuum is opened at that time, enough for information to magically flow back and forth. My best theory to date seems to fit the idea that information encapsulated in magical data packets travels into the rift and is sent back through time, emerging in the past. Carim and her ancestors were sensitive to this, their linker cores allowing them to make some sense of what was coming through."

Nanoha set her silverware down, her meal half-eaten. "So you think you can send me through this rift to go back in time? That it can take a person instead of just information? Is that even possible?"

Shari pushed her glasses up on her nose and half-smiled. "If my theories are correct, it should be possible, with some modifications and if done in the right spot under the right conditions."

"First of all, you'll need this," Yuuno told her, bringing out a small jewelry box, and pushing it across the table to her before Nanoha could ask what the conditions were.

She look at him in confusion, then picked up the box and opened it, her breathing catching in her throat as she beheld the spherical red jewel within, attached to a cord. "Is this...?"

"Hello, my master," Raging Heart intoned as Nanoha picked it up. "It is good to see you again."

"Raging... Heart," Nanoha breathed, not realizing until this very moment how much she had missed her device; a single tear appeared in her left eye as she clutched it to her chest. "So you had it all this time? Thank you, Yuuno-kun."

Yuuno blushed a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "Technically speaking, it still belongs to the Scrya tribe, which is where ownership returned when you... passed away. I was able to reacquire it so Shari could make the necessary programming additions for the time jump."

Her head came up as she wiped her eyes. "Yes, about that; how exactly am I supposed to do this?"

Yuuno brought up a holographic screen and typed a few buttons, and the lights dimmed as a holographic Mid-Childa hovered over the table along with its moons. "In two months time, the moons will align again and the rift will open. Raging Heart has the necessary information programmed in to identify the rift and guide you into it. After that, it will be up to your will and your magic to get you to the right point."

Nanoha looked back and forth between the couple, realizing something. "You don't know what will happen when I go into it, do you?"

"Not exactly, no," Shari admitted, apologetic. "I've been running simulations and calculations for the past ten years, but as far as I know, no one has attempted anything like this."

"It may very well come down to you keeping a date and time firmly in mind when you enter," Yuuno added, hopefully. "With any luck, it will just be a short hop and you'll barely realize anything has happened; almost like a teleport. All I can say is keep the destination firmly in mind."

Nanoha understood something else about all this. "You said I was to take the place of my younger self, so I suppose that means I die in her place so she can live."

"I know," Yuuno told her softly, putting his silverware down. "It means you'd end up sacrificing your life to change history, so that none of this would happen. No one will have died. It's a long shot, but we'll leave the choice up to you."

"Up to me?" Nanoha questioned, closing her hand around the jewel in her hand, the familiar warmth offering a strange comfort after all this time. "I already gave my life for everyone once, and you already know me well enough to know I'd do it a second time if it meant saving everyone. But will this actually work? You don't know. You had me cloned, gave the people a hope that I would solve everything, and several have died for me... all for me to go back and time and make it so nothing happens!

Her head came up. "Wouldn't this cause a paradox? If I save my younger self so that this doesn't happen, doesn't that mean I won't exist to go back in time? What if I go back even farther? I could really change history!"

"There are a number of theories, but no one really knows," Shari answered softly. "Don't get too mad at him, as this is my fault, too. I thought he was crazy at first, but I eventually went along with it, because I don't see any other way. I hate seeing what has become of our world, and our friends, and I can't help but feel this was never supposed to be. But in answer to your concerns, it's possible that you going back in time will simply create an alternate timeline, and this future will continue as is. Or after you save yourself, you'll cease to be, but everyone will experience the new alternate reality. In short, this is a last ditch effort, a gamble. That's why we recommend you focusing on the moment you died, and not attempt to go any farther back."

Nanoha's head lowered again as she thought about that; sacrificing her life to save others was a given, if there was no other way. But what if it did form an alternate timeline and Hayate continued ruling here? That would make her efforts all for naught, regardless if there was a new second timeline where this was prevented. In any case, temporal mechanics was beyond her understanding.

"There's one other thing, that will influence your decision," Yuuno said at last, which brought Nanoha's head back up and her focus to the holographic planet. "The place on Mid-Childa where the moon's focus their energies is always the same, and is probably a reason why Clanagan was built where it is. Not only does the rift form in the city, but it does so in a very specific place; due to the lensing effect of our atmosphere, the effect is concentrated at a single spot."

As Yuuno spoke, the hologram began to shift, zooming in on the spot where the moon's were concentrating their effect to showcase the city, and then to the specific point indicated by a flashing red dot. The location made Nanoha's eyes widen; it was the top of the central spire in Clanagan. She turned to stare at him upon realizing the implications.

"Yes," he answered to response to her unspoken question. "Before you'll be able to even think about using the time travel option, you'll have to conquer Clanagan, the bastion of Hayate's Bureau, first."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha leaned back in the hot water, watching the steam drift upwards, glad that Shari had suggested a bath after dinner; the cloned woman hadn't really had one this nice since the few days she spent at Neyra's restaurant, which seemed like ages ago. She had been able to get a short shower and wash-down at the rebel base, but nothing like the clean and well-kept furo she found herself in now. She figured Yuuno probably had it installed, as he had come to like them during his stay at the Takamachi household.

It also gave her a chance to collect her thoughts and reflect on all that she had been told since she arrived at the hidden Finieno home; she didn't know why, but it brought her a bit of amusement to realize Yuuno had taken Shari's name, rather than the other way around. But the nagging concerns from earlier still remained.

_Time travel._

_Sacrifice._

A number of people had already sacrificed themselves for her, some making the ultimate offering of their life itself, and now she was expected to give up her life to possibly undo all that. In doing so, they never would have died, but those who hadn't died would never have lived, like Amos and Givo. And who is to say Vice and Alto, or Yuuno and Shari would have ever gotten together? Could she be the sole judge and take that choice away from them? Obviously, Yuuno and Shari were prepared to take that route, but what about everyone else? Making extreme decisions regardless of people's feelings was something Hayate had been doing.

[Would I be any better if I did this?] she finally asked herself the question that had been forming in her mind. [Perhaps the right path is simply to end the dictatorship and return freedom to the people living now.] The cloned mage didn't quite know what she expected to find at the end of her journey, the reasons for her creation and the purpose she was to fulfill, but somehow she didn't expect time travel.

"And that's what I am," Nanoha said softly. "A clone; a sacrifice. A spare part to fix something gone wrong."

"Master?" Raging heart chirped, floating nearby.

"I'm not the real Nanoha," she informed her device. "She died years ago. I'm a substitute. And we're being asked to sacrifice ourselves; are you okay with that?"

"I do not understand," Raging Heart replied. "You are my master. We will fight together as we always have. I will assist you however you desire. That is all."

Nanoha stared at the device, a million thoughts going through her head, then smiled. "Thank you, Raging Heart."

She decided she had been in the bath long enough and got out, drying herself off and dressing in the loose shirt and trousers Shari had left for her while her other clothes were washed. Nanoha wanted more; she wasn't sure if she'd exercise the time travel option, but the original problem still remained: Hayate's Bureau. It needed to be brought down first, and had to be done within two months if she was going to do this. As she dried and combed her hair, she realized that since Yuuno and Shari seemingly plotted this much out, they had to have some idea of how to accomplish that.

She hook Raging Heart's necklace cord around her neck and left the bathroom, searching through the corridors looking for her hosts. As she approached what looked like an indoor arboretum, voices lightly drifted through the trees.

"Are you going to tell her?" came Shari's voice.

Curious, Nanoha paused, listening in.

x~~*~~x

"I'm not sure, actually, but I don't think it makes a difference, honestly," Yuuno replied as the two sat together under their favorite cherry blossom tree. "At the most, it might just hurt her more. And that's not something that I want to do; I've already hurt her enough."

"You still have feelings for her," Shari stated, still leaning against him. It was a fact, and not a question; she knew him too well.

"Which is why you know I hate doing this, but it's the way things have to be, I think," he told her, his arm around her, gently rubbing her far shoulder. "And I told you why."

Shari smiled. "I know, because you saw her for a brief moment that one morning. And you're right, you know. The one you saw, and this one... they both have short hair. But it still doesn't mean she succeeded; and if one of those theories is true, it means she didn't."

"But I have to believe that it did," Yuuno replied, adamant as he closed his eyes, remembering that time.

He wasn't sure what it was about that morning, only that he sensed someone else in the room, other than his first wife in the bed next to him. He turned as his eyes opened, and that's when he saw her, standing next to the bed and gazing fondly down at him. At first he thought he might have been a ghost or just a hallucination especially since the figure promptly faded from sight, but two things stuck in his mind that morning, the first being her short hair. Why would he hallucinate that?

He spoke the second thing softly. "She smiled..."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha's eyes widened at the revelation, not sure how to take it; did that mean she didn't have a choice, and would end up taking the time travel option? She wasn't quite sure, but she wasn't about to take anyone withholding information on her now. She strolled into the arboretum and approached the pair.

"I need to know everything," she told them as she gazed at them evenly, hands on her hips. "How am I supposed to take down Hayate? I'm guessing you know already."

The pair glanced at each other, then Yuuno sighed, nodded, and stood up. "You're right, we do have an idea. Come with us."

Curious, she followed them as they headed down another side passage and Yuuno glanced at Shari, an unspoken signal traveling between them.

"During the war, Carim kept trying to see exactly how it was supposed to end, but it was never very clear," Shari began to explain as they walked. "Since Yuuno brought me in to help study her ability, I eventually made a device for her, which helped her better control her 'future-gaze' for lack of a better term. Because so much information comes out of the rift, her linker core is mostly overwhelmed, which is why her prophecies were always pretty vague and limited. But the device I made for her assists her linker core to filter through the terabytes of data that comes through, partly allowing her to actively look for specific things, if they exist. It's mostly junk data, but major events affecting Mid-Childa come through stronger than the rest, which is what she usually picked up on."

Yuuno continued for her as they entered a side room. "Shortly before the end of the war, Carim finally found the prophecy she was looking for, the one that would signal the end of the dark times and return what she was looking for; "The long night ends and a new day dawns when one who has returned from the grave leads the army of the d-"

An explosion to Nanoha's right cut off Yuuno's words, and sent her her flying against a wall where she felt her head hit something, and then the world became blurry, while the bang from the blast had left her ears ringing. But she cold make out a new person standing in the wreckage from the newly formed hole, someone with long golden object that matched her hair, and that surprised her almost as much as the following discussion that she could just barely understand.

x~~*~~x

"I figured I'd find my ex-husband here, but not my old aide as well," Fate stated, glancing back and forth between the two as the dust settled and she took stock of the situation. "You're both under arrest for aiding and abetting an enemy of the state. My enforcers are covering all exits; there is no escape."

She noticed subtle apprehensive glances pass between the two instead of responding to her which left her wondering what it could mean, until a feminine groan sounded to her left. The figure her peripheral vision detected forced a second look as the world around her stopped.

Fate's skin tingled and her mouth dropped open as the woman slowly tried to sit up, a ton of feelings and emotions pouring through her in a fraction of an instant. "Nano...ha?"

"Fate...chan?" Nanoha questioned blankly, holding her head while staring back.

"Nanoha!" Fate exclaimed, beginning to run in her direction; but before she got to the other, green chains ensnared her arms and legs, and her head snapped around with a snarl. "Yuuno!"

His hand outstretched and glowing the same emerald green, Yuuno shifted in front of, his face showing visible strain to maintain the spell. "Shari, do it!"

"Right!" the other woman agreed, quickly moving over to help Nanoha up.

"Yuuno, what are you..." Fate started to say, slowly breaking the binds, gripping the handle of Bardiche's Zanbar form tighter. "Stop it!"

"This is the first time in a long time the three of us have been together in the same place," Yuuno reminisced with a sad smile, as the sounds of boots running in the halls got louder signaling the approach of her Enforcers. "But I'm sorry, I can't let you stop her. Hurry, Shari!"

A clearly dazed Nanoha had been helped up by Shari, who had draped one of the former's arms across her shoulders and was now leading her across the room to a teleporter. Fate grit her teeth, realizing what they were up to, and in Yuuno's eyes she could see that he had come to a similar conclusion: it was a race as to whether Shari could get Nanoha out, Fate would break the binds, or that the Enforcers would back her up. Fate had a barrier setup over the place, but Yuuno was an expert in teleportation and Shari was a master technician; between the two of them, they might very well be able to get out.

The bonds finally dissolved the instant Enforcer's appeared in the door, but Yuuno leapt back and cast his next spell. "Steel defense!"

Fate's golden blade met the barrier covering Yuuno, Shari, Nanoha and the teleportation pad, the same moment her Enforcers opened fire. "Nanoha, stop!"

Nanoha looked up from where she sat on the platform, as Shari activated the machine. "I'm sorry... Fate-chan. I-"

The whole building shook, and lights began blinking out all over the room.

"The generator is down!" Shari announced in alarm. "There's not enough power to send her all the way!"

Yuuno grunted under the strain of maintaining his shield. "Do the best you can, Shari! Nanoha, find your daughter; find Vivio!"

"Vivio!" Fate exclaimed, her eyes widening, feeling a surge within her as the barrier began to crack under the strain of her sword and the Enforcer's fire, and the teleportation machine began it's start-up whine. "STOP!"

The shield finally shattered as Nanoha vanished in emerald light. Fate whacked Yuuno aside with her blade and then bound Shari as she reached the control panel, but the coordinates of the transfer weren't listed; the database appeared to be blank.

"You won't find her, as the machine doesn't record where it sends people," Shari informed her. "Neither of us knows exactly where Nanoha is now. I know it probably pains you, but it has to be this way; Yuuno told me how close you were to her and your daughter."

Fate turned her glare on the woman. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now, but you'll soon find out." She turned around and strode towards her Enforcers, pausing to bind Yuuno. "And for both your sakes, you better hope I find them."

x~~*~~x

"[Linker core completion at 100%,]" Rein intoned from within her mistress. "[All magic particles have been gathered, but there is some minor distortion I cannot account for.]"

"Steady," Hayate stated, as the glowing crimson sparkle grew brighter in the center of the elaborate magic circle. "Just focus on the restoration. Reinitialize Signum program." 

The hovering sparkle in the middle of the room flashed once and a crimson Belkan magic triangle spun underneath, a transparent form rising from it and materializing around the core. With a final push, Hayate completed the spell, then leaned on the nearby book podium to rest, as Signum blinked her eyes open.

Hayate allowed herself a smile. "Welcome back, Signum. I thought I'd lost you there for a bit. Are you okay?"

"I seem to be intact," Signum stated, glancing at her hands. "Though as before my memories seem to have-"

Her sentence was interrupted by an exclamation from behind. "What the hell!"

x~~*~~x

Nanoha suddenly found herself face down upon soft grass after the teleportation. Her mind head still felt a bit cloudy, but she could feel the cool water against her legs as her loose trousers slowly soaked up water, making her realize she had materialized partially into a babbling stream; but most of her thoughts were on Fate, Yuuno, and Shari, wondering what had become of them. The former, in particular, seemed as shocked as Nanoha, to see the other, and genuinely appeared to be distressed at Nanoha having to leave so abruptly.

She blinked her eyes, suddenly feeling saddened for some reason, and attempted to get up. She was only moderately successful, getting her hands underneath her body before the dizziness made her collapse again.

As her vision began to go dark, she thought she spied a rather tall individual approaching her through the bushes and trees, dressed in tanned leather.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

F-91 knew about the Yuuno/Shari angle back when I told him about this fic and showed him my very early notes, but it was only coincidence that he had started work on his own Yuuno/Shari fic. So neither of us copied the other; it was just random happenstance, heh.

Just a note about the time travel angle: it may or may not be the solution, or may only be partially the solution. And as the characters discuss, they aren't quite sure what result it will have. I'm not telling at this point. =)

Lastly, you get an omake:

Yuuno: Goodbye, Nanoha! Have fun storming the castle!

Shari: *in a low voice* Think it'll work?

Yuuno: *low voice* It would take a miracle. *louder* Goodbye!


	16. To Everything, Turn

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 16: To Everything, Turn**

Xx~~*~~xX

_Pure white._

_It stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see, and it left her profoundly unsettled. White held a number of meanings in her home country, but the most prominent one in her mind now was death, so she felt the scenery was practically choking the life from her._

_In fact, she found she couldn't breathe._

_She tried to raise her arms to her throat to check her airways, but they wouldn't move, and now she keenly felt another pair of hands there, squeezing tightly. Her body jerked slightly in it's death throes to escape the torment, but it was no use; she wasn't getting any air and she felt weaker and more helpless by the second._

_[I can't... breathe! What's... going on!]_

_As soon as the question was raised, a vague, blurry face formed in front of her, pale, thin and gaunt, with a grey outline and a toothy grin. The face was amorphous, changing, indistinct, yet somehow it instilled her with fear._

_She was going to die._

Nanoha's eyes shot open as she inhaled reflexively, panting while she slowly became aware of her surroundings, first noticing how the sheets of the bed clung to her moderately sweaty body as she stared at the ceiling of what appeared to be a log cabin. While her breathing slowly returned to normal, she turned her head, finding her shirt and pants drying on a line above fire crackling in a fireplace in the corner, which raised her inner alarm and caused her to confirm she had been reduced to her underwear.

[Where am I?] she wondered, clutching the bed sheet to her chest as she tried to sit up, feeling a bit dizzy almost immediately.

Raising her hand, she touched her head, only to find it bandaged. She realized someone must have done that, and put her here, but who? She remembered being at Yuuno and Shari's house, and then Fate broke in, and things became a bit fuzzy after that. She remembered feeling sad that she couldn't talk with Fate as they teleported her, and...

_"Find your daughter! Find Vivio!"_

Her eyes widened as the flood of memories came back, with Yuuno's command being the most prominent one, even as her head began to pound; it still didn't stop her from her joyous thought.

_Vivio is alive!_

And Fate was there as well, looking a bit older, but not as much as she expected to see for a woman her age, yet still filling Nanoha with regret. [Fate-chan...]

She also realized that Fate had called Yuuno her "ex-husband" which Nanoha found more confusing; [Yuuno and Fate were married? How did that happen?] That wasn't something she would have seen coming, and it made her feel a bit funny inside for reasons she couldn't quite figure out. Or maybe she just wasn't feeling well to begin with; she wasn't sure which.

The front door opening broke her line of thought and drew her attention over to the side, even as her vision began to swim. A tall, moderately-built man in tanned leathers and raccoon cap entered, his face mostly obscured by a thick reddish-brown beard. Her eyes widened as he took notice of her, seemingly studying her face.

"You're awake," he stated the obvious. "I didn't do anything to you, but you do have a concussion. You should rest awhile."

She couldn't even attempt to argue the point as her vision became more blurred, and then she collapsed back to the pillow as unconsciousness claimed her once more.

x~~*~~x

"I never expected to see you again," Fate stated as she entered the brig, seeing Yuuno bound with chains in his cell; it was a confrontation she found herself hesitant to commit to, but in the end she managed to force herself to do it. "And I honestly hoped that you were just lying low to stay out of the Bureau's way. It really pains me to see you like this."

Yuuno glanced up, his eyes almost unreadable, but Fate knew him well enough to see the disappointment there. "You can stop that pain anytime. Let us go, or at least let Shari go. If you won't do that because you're still loyal to Hayate, then do it as a request, in remembrance of what we had."

Fate clenched her fist. "I can't, I'm truly sorry. I don't know what you're planning with Nanoha and Vivio, but I can take a guess. I really had hoped that you weren't working with the terrorists, but I can't let this go, no matter how much I want to."

"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," Yuuno shot back.

Fate sighed. "We've had this argument before; it's why we divorced in the first place. I'm not going to have it again." 

Yuuno's gaze dropped. "Yes, we have. And neither one of us will budge. Grief brought us to together, and it helped heal us; I was truly happy back then." He shook his head. "But a shared common loss wasn't enough to sustain what we had. We were simply hiding from the truth."

"That she wasn't coming back, no matter how much we missed her," Fate added, her voice softening, and then it turned hard again. "But you did bring her back, at least a clone of her. Why? What are you, Carim, and Vivio up to?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," Yuuno stated flatly. "Only that it no longer matters what happens to me. Nanoha taught me that; to do whatever it takes to save the people you care about, no matter how painful."

"You weren't the only one!" Fate almost shouted at him, her eyes on the verge of watering. "Don't you think it pains me to do this! Hayate and I, we're doing this not because we want to, but because we have to, in order to save lives! Don't make me do this; you _know_ what I'm going to have to do!"

Yuuno chuckled darkly. "And yet we're having the argument again." He shook his head, then met her eyes. "Then do what you have to, and I'll do what I have to."

Fate grit her teeth, glaring at her ex-husband; he was pushing her, making it easy for her to inflict punishment, but she wasn't going to fall for it... yet. Instead, she turned around to compose herself. "I'll bring Shari in so you two can have one more night together to talk. But that's all I can do. Tomorrow, one way or another, I'll have to find out exactly what you're up to."

She felt Yuuno's eyes on the back of her head as she left the brig, but despite that, she somehow managed to keep her resolve firm.

x~~*~~x

Sister Rubella moved from patient to patient in the mobile army hospital, checking each one, lending her minor healing magic to each victim. She was technically a prisoner, but she was able to convince the soldiers to let her tend to the wounded; above all else, she didn't want more death on her conscience.

"Hey, we'll be moving out soon, so make sure they're ready for transport!" came the call of a soldier who ducked his head into the tent.

"I have at least four people who shouldn't be moved for three days at the very minimum!" she protested. "I was promised I would be given the time for their bodies to heal enough for transport. Don't you have any medical personnel who can assist me? My healing magic isn't as strong as it used to be."

He shrugged. "Not my call, and not my problem. You're the one who wanted to help with this. Our doctors are busy with the injured soldiers, and they take precedence."

She sighed again as the soldier left, glancing at the half-dozen rebels still under her care, reaching down to stroke the hair of the youngest who was still unconscious. "I'm sorry, I know I sinned, but I thought it was for the best. This way, we can limit the suffering and death, until Our Lady returns." Her eyes closed as tears formed. "I never meant to have so many hurt, including you! I was told they'd take care of you with a minimum of casualties and harm."

"You... told them... where the hideout was?" Givo said in surprise, causing her eyes to snap open and see him staring back at her.

"I..." Rubella started to say, staring at him in horror, then bowed her head. "Forgive me, but they promised leniency for everyone if I did, but I remember the war and couldn't stand to see the resistance taking anymore lives."

The youth continued to glare at her, then turned his head away from her. His lack of response troubled her more than if he had outright stated his condemnation of her actions, and Rubella found herself shaking slightly.

"Let me see if I can get you new bandages for the move," she told him, moving to the supplies in the corner of the tent.

Givo still didn't reply.

x~~*~~x

Agito strained against the bind spell that Hayate rapidly hit her with as soon as Signum moved out of the way. "Will someone explain just what the hell happened!"

"I'd like to know that as well," Hayate replied, studying the little demon. "My spell was only meant to reconstitute Signum. So how did this happen?"

"[That must have been the unknown variance I detected,]" Rein ventured. "[Somehow, her linker core was connected with Signum's, even though we never actually entered her patterns into the new book.]"

"I tried to tell you it would be no use," Signum stated in an emotionless tone. "Hayate had her device rebuilt during the war to ensure neither Vita nor I could be ever be permanently killed. The tome originally had the ability to reconstitute us whenever we were killed, and she restored that function from the data the original Reinforce left in her linker core. You were never told this."

Agito stared at the two. "You can't be killed? Then you can't..."

She trailed off, but Signum seemed to catch what she was about to say, nodding slightly with a small hint of sadness in her eyes. Agito understood; Signum knew she was betraying Zest's promise, but somehow couldn't disobey Hayate no matter how much she might personally want to... and she also couldn't die. In that crystal clear moment, Agito saw exactly what kind of situation her former master was in.

"Well, this is a problem, then," the mistress of the Wolkenritter stated at last. "If you won't rejoin the Bureau, I'll have to find a way to disconnect you from Signum and the book."

The little demon shifted her glare to Hayate, recognizing that there was a new objective: In order to free Signum, Hayate had to die.

x~~*~~x

When she awoke again, a light breeze was blowing through the cabin from the open windows, carrying with it the sound of chirping birds. Somehow, she got the impression that it was morning, which made her wonder exactly how long she was out. However, she did feel slightly better, enough to sit up partially, but she didn't press her luck.

Her clothes were now folded on a chair next to the bed, the necklace Raging Heart was hooked to resting on top. Another glance around the single room cabin drew her gaze to the blankets on the couch; her mysterious host must have slept there, allowing her to have his bed.

[Quite the gentleman after all,] she thought to herself, which just made her wonder who he was even more.

The door opened again, and Nanoha made sure the blanket was covering her chest, though at this point he had probably seen things already. Still, she wasn't about to give out free shows.

"Um, I should thank you for helping me," she stated, which just earned her a shrug in response.

Her host seemed to show a reluctance for communication as he mostly ignored her, instead grabbing a piece of fruit from a bowl to cut it in two. Curious, Nanoha watched him as he placed half of it on a tray, and then took two bowls over to a pot sitting on a spit in the fireplace. He filled them both with something and returned to the table, his whole body attitude making it seem like he was deliberately trying _not_ to pay much attention to her; but she couldn't figure out why.

"I'm... Seikou," Nanoha offered, making another attempt at conversation after debating what name to give him. "May I ask your name?"

He paused, glancing at her once after setting the bowls down on the table; the look in his eyes made him seem like he was somehow skeptical of her or something, as if he was trying to figure her out, much like she was trying to do to him. Then he seemingly lost interest in his study of her, placing spoons in the bowls before picking up the tray and coming over to her.

Nanoha sat up more, tying the blanket around her upper body, then accepted the tray as he put it in her lap. "Oh, thank you! Mr...?"

Once again he ignored her, turning to head back to the table, sitting down to pick up his spoon. Nanoha refocused her attention to her own steaming bowl, which contained something that strongly resembled a soup-like oatmeal. It smelled decently enough, so she mimicked his motion, blowing on a spoonful to cool it before trying it. It wasn't quite tasteless, but it wasn't bad either, and she realized she was quite hungry.

"Edward," her host said out-of-the-blue, causing her to turn and look at him; he shrugged. "My name."

Nanoha smiled. "Nice to meet you, Edward."

He almost seemed to blush, she thought, but it quickly faded. "You had a concussion. Once you rest a few days, you can resume your journey."

[There it is again,] she realized, something in his tone that matched his body actions, as if he didn't want her here. [Perhaps he's a hermit who is just used to being alone and prefers it that way?]

"Well, I'll try not to burden you too much," she told him after trying out the piece of fruit that tasted much like a peach.

Edward shrugged again, then finished the rest of his meal in silence before heading to the door, pausing before exiting. "I'll be back later today. You should probably stay here; dangerous out there. There are some rolls in the cupboard and fruit in the bowl if you get hungry."

And then he was gone, the wood door whining as it closed behind him, leaving Nanoha alone with her thoughts and the remains of her breakfast. While she wondered exactly what kind of man Edward was, ultimately, she decided not to worry about it so much; her life was dangerous enough as it was, and the best thing she could do would be to recover and leave, hopefully before anyone else showed up. Almost everyone she came into contact with had suffered misfortune, mostly because of the Bureau being after her; she didn't want to afflict him with that.

Plus, she had to focus on her mission; somewhere out there, Vivio was alive and waiting for her.

x~~*~~x

"I'm reeeaaally looking forward to a bath," Teana opined longingly as the two approached their home in Clangan.

Wendi made a show of sniffing the air, then grinned. "Yes, you do."

Teana halfheartedly whacked her across the back of the head, but she was smiling slightly. "Shut up."

The door opened the moment they hit the edge of the property line, revealing a smirking Nove who came out to greet them. "About time you guys got back; I was beginning to get worried!"

It had been agreed upon earlier, that Nove would go ahead and return first, so that she could sneak back in and make it seem as if she never left; they didn't want to broadcast the fact that she had been with them, as she wasn't supposed to leave the city in the first place.

"Well, we would have been back sooner, but Wendi was beginning to enjoy her new accommodations," Teana joked.

"Hmph," the #11 cyborg grunted, purposefully looking away. "I'm just-"

The words died on her lips as several vans pulled up and disgorged a number of Enforcers, who promptly encircled the trio, while yet more Enforcers descended from the sky to join their brethren. All pointed their staves threateningly at the Nakajima family.

"What's the meaning of this!" Teana demanded, as her sisters activated their devices.

"Wendi is under arrest for conspiracy to commit treason against the state," Hayate informed them, descending out of the sky to land behind the Enforcer line. "I suggest you don't resist, so you will be able to defend yourself at trial."

Teana noticed her two sisters tensing up, but laid a hand on both their shoulders to prevent them from doing something rash. "On what evidence?"

"A video that has recently come to light, among others," Hayate told them, opening a holographic screen to display it.

Wendi was clearly shown walking down a hallway, then paused and glanced around, before stepping to the side while pulling out a small communication device and holding it to her ear. _"I told you not to call me here... Yes, I got the last message you sent... I'll have a chance to meet with them next week... Yes, I know how important this is, and I agree with you that it's time Hayate's rule ended. Now don't call me here again unless it's important!"_

The trio watched, stunned, as the video ended and the screen disappeared, with Wendi immediately blurting out afterward, "That isn't me! Someone was using transformation magic or something!"

"No magic was detected in that particular hallway," Hayate declared solemnly. "But you'll have a chance to examine the evidence for yourself later. For now, you're under arrest; I can't make exceptions for anyone, not even you."

Wendi tensed again, but Teana placed both hands on her shoulders and said softly, "Go along with it for now. We'll get you out of this, I promise. I won't let any harm come to you." The #11 cyborg acquiesced under her sister's words, growling, but allowing herself to be handcuffed under protest.

"With that out of the way, Nove Nakajima, you are also under arrest for disobeying orders," Hayate stated, turning to the other cyborg. "You left the city under explicit orders not to."

"Quattro!" Nove spat. "She lied to me; she-" The #9 cyborg promptly shut up, then adjusted her stance. "Quattro must be behind this! Her IS can manipulate images without magic!"

Hayate's eyes narrowed. "Quattro's use of her IS is limited, and under my direct control. And her whereabouts were confirmed at the times of Wendi's little phone call, and your disappearance. You have no one to blame but yourself."

Teana turned on the supreme commander as Nove was taken into custody, her patience rapidly running out. "Hayate, you can't possibly accept-"

"You'll have a chance to make your case at trial," Hayate restated, interrupting her subordinate. "Don't make me repeat myself again. And we better not find evidence of your involvement in this conspiracy as well."

Helpless, Teana could only glare at Hayate as she watched as her two sisters being taken away, every fiber of her being screaming at her to stop this, but logically knowing she couldn't. Then movement in the corner of her eye shifted her attention around to see Dieci appear in the window of their home, curiously watching the situation. Teana shot Hayate another dark look before forcing her way past the Enforcers; she needed to explain things to Dieci first, and then prepare a defense against the ridiculous charges.

If Quattro was behind this, Teana would definitely find a way to prove it.

x~~*~~x

"How is it going in there?" Vice asked casually, placing a screwdriver in the hand that appeared from the hole.

"Better if you'd shut your yap and let me work," Alto told him kindly for the umpteenth time since their flight from Mid-Childa a day-and-a-half ago.

"Well, we are stranded in space on the edge of a planetary system, and will remain so until you fix the engine, so we have to fill the time with something," Vice bantered, falling back into the habit to stave off the reality of their situation. "And dinner is on hold."

"Consider yourself lucky we're here at all!" she snapped back. "Hyperdrive mechanics aren't easy, and I didn't exactly have the best parts to work with in the first place! I might be able to manage a short hop to one of the planets, if they are habitable, and we can at least land."

"Amos is still analyzing them, but the first three are out," he informed her. "Too cold, and one is a gas giant. The other two are on the other side of the sun, so we won't have reliable data for awhile. But with a gas giant in system to act as a comet catcher, and the other two closer to the star, in the 'Goldilocks zone' as he calls it, he's hopeful."

He didn't state what they were all thinking, though. Even if they found a habitable planet, they'd remain trapped there unless they could get the shuttle fully repaired; the planet would become their new home, and their role in the resistance would be over until someone could rescue them. With Hayate's Bureau controlling most of the dimensional sea, that aspect seemed unlikely.

Vice sighed and leaned back against the bulkhead, his mind as empty as the space around the shuttle. [Well, at least it can't get worse...]

"Mom, dad, I think you better get up here!" Amos's worried voice came from the front of the shuttle, forcing Vice to mentally smack himself for tempting fate. "Sensors just registered a ship dropping out of hyperspace, and from their trajectory, they're headed straight for us!"

Alto's head popped out of the hole in the bulkhead where she met Vice's gaze, then the two sprinted up front to the cockpit. Sure enough, there a vessel on approach, and Vice felt his insides grow cold as the shuttle's computer registered it's profile as a Bureau Cruiser.

"Unidentified ship, we have scanned your vessel and noticed that you are currently dead in the water," came a female voice. "Do you require assistance?"

"Something about that voice..." Alto stated, rubbing her chin with her index finger.

"Can we get our engines back up in a few minutes?" Amos asked, but Alto shook her head to that; Vice was back there, and he knew she'd require at least 20 minutes to even put the sublight engines back together, never mind the hyperspace ones.

"Well, we need to respond or else they'll get really suspicious," Vice reasoned, then took a deep breath and opened communications. "Thank you for your concern, but we are okay. We should have our engines back online momentarily, and we'll be on our way."

There was a very pregnant pause, as all three pairs of eyes were locked on the radar screen, noting as the bureau ship drifted closer and closer; would it work?

The female voice came back on. "You really should learn to accept help sometimes.. Have your crew standby."

Alto smacked her palm. "I thought I recognized that voice! It's-"

Her words were cut off as the entire crew of the shuttle were teleported, arriving in the in the hold of the Bureau ship. Vice spun to see a woman almost as old as he was, sporting a short crop of faded pink hair while she studied the rebels, a group of Enforcer's behind her.

"-Captain Lowran!" Alto finished, echoing Vice's realization.

Lucino sighed and shook her head, hands on her hips. "You guys are in a lot of trouble, you know that?"

A voice echoed over the communications system. "The shuttle is aboard, Captain. And the Admiral says he wants to meet with our guests."

Vice narrowed his eyes, debating on how many Enforcer's he could take out if he activated Storm Raider. "Admiral aboard, eh? I guess we're your prisoners, then."

"He's not on board, but we'll be taking you to see him," Lucino replied with a hint of mystery. "Oh, and you probably shouldn't do that, Vice; I'd hate to shoot any of you." Her lips tugged upwards into a grin. "You wouldn't be able to participate in the revolution, then."

x~~*~~x

_The hands were gnarled, but strong, resisting her attempts to remove them from her neck. All her magic was taken with her task, leaving her none to protect herself; and if she did, all her friends would die._

_"You are mine now, child," the husky voice whispered in glee._

_"S-stop!" Nanoha coughed out, fighting as she felt the very life in her body flow away. "I have to..."_

_The face floating in front of her was still blurred, unrecognizable, but somehow familiar, haunting, and hating, though she didn't know why. But this time, she retained enough presence of mind to realize it wasn't her air being choked out._

_It was her very life essence._

Nanoha awoke in a sweat, panting heavily, and while the darkness around informed her that it was still night, that only made the images in her mind more vivid. It was the second time she had that particular dream, and the nagging mystery of what it meant left her unsettled. She sat up and rubbed her arms, deciding what she really needed was some fresh air; she didn't quite feel up to trying to get back to sleep.

While she got dressed, she reflected on the fact that almost a week had gone by since she had arrived at Edward's cabin, and she still didn't know much about him, although she wasn't really trying; he was still as uncommunicative as ever, so even attempting to drag something out of him was practically a fool's errand. Still, he did take care of her, and during her time here they had slipped into something of an uneasy unspoken relationship; Nanoha helping to tidy up and clean and cook where she could without asking, while he went out hunting or fishing daily. She was mostly recovered now, so she would be leaving him soon.

[Five days, which I suppose is long enough to impose on him,] she thought to herself. [The headaches are gone and I no longer feel weak. And I have to find Vivio.]

But there were still a couple of things that troubled her as she stepped outside into the very early morning air, one of them being the nightmare. Was it just a subconscious construct reflecting her inner troubles about being a sacrifice? Or was it something more?

She put that aside for now while she went to the nearby stream to wash the sweat off her body, focusing on the other thing that still bothered her; Edward's adamant refusal to teach her how to hunt or trap. She knew she'd have to travel on her own again soon, and with little money, she wasn't sure when she'd be able to eat properly. So, as much as the act of killing for her own food disturbed her, she knew she'd have to learn, but Edward had refused to allow her to accompany him.

"_Why?" Nanoha had asked. "If I can learn to gather my own food-"_

"_I said no!" Edward shot back with a brief flare of anger. "I hunt best alone; I don't want anyone tagging along. Once you're better and leave, how you get along isn't my concern. There is a small harbor trading post a day's journey from here where other hunters gather; if you really want to learn when you leave, you can ask someone there."_

Nanoha sighed, pushing through the bushes, wondering where that stream was. She had been there a few times, but this was her first in the dark; had she taken a wrong turn? Pausing, she risked a small search spell, releasing the orb into the air and then closed her eyes to see the images relayed to her mind's eye through Raging Heart.

[Aha, there it is!] she thought to herself, seeing the small stream weave through the woods, then saw something unnaturally-shaped in the distance. [Wait, what's that?]

She guided the orb passed the stream, over several dozen meters of forest. There, among the trees and brush vines, were the ruins of several buildings. Had they been homes? Nanoha didn't know, but she found herself curious, letting the orb do the searching for her, dipping between them. The smaller ones were almost rotted away, but the largest one was still fairly intact, although not by much.

The first rays of sunlight came over the mountains, striking something above the door of the big building and reflecting the light in a flash. She guided the orb up to it, realizing that there was a name on the plate, but it had faded with age and fungus and vines obscured most of the rest of it. Still, there was something about the distribution of letters she could see that made her decide to cancel the spell and take a short flight over to the actual location.

Floating in front of the name plate, she wiped it off with her sleeve, her eyes widening as she read the name, her mind filling in for the faded letters:

SUPOOL NATURE PRESERVE

[Supool?] she thought, incredulous. [When did I end up on Supool? Did Yuuno and Shari send me here? Or was their house on that planet and I was initially sent there?] It occurred to her that she never asked; she just assumed she was still on Mid-Childa. [Does that mean Vivio is on this planet, too?]

The door to the building was long gone, but the insides were so rotted and overgrown that she decided not to venture in. But as she turned around to scan the area, she did notice a distinct well-traveled path in the overgrown grass. One direction led off back the way towards Edward's cabin, so it seemed to be something that he used often. Curious, Nanoha followed it as it wound behind the larger building.

Eventually she found the end of the path and stopped, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. It wasn't the large tree that caused Nanoha's reaction, but the stone slab a meter in front of it. Stunned, she read the engraving on the stone:

CARO MONDAIL

0065 – 0101

BELOVED WIFE AND FRIEND

x~~*~~x

"Am I too late?" the wizened man wondered aloud in a worried tone as he picked his way through the rubble.

The large building had stood here for years, hidden among the trees, and finally when he had a break in the case, was he too late to tell anyone what he had discovered? His orders had been specific, to seek out that which was hidden that not even Carim could see. And it had taken years of following shadows and pulling at small threads before he began to see the full tapestry.

"_There is something going on that not even I can see," Carim told him while they were alone. "But you must find out. You must disappear and drop into the shadows, for it is only there that you will find the truth that we so desperately need. Be my eyes, and let me see."_

But the remains of the church where he stood let him know that there was no longer anyone here. Burnt holes in the ceiling and walls reminded him of pinpoint lightning strikes, so he had a pretty good guess what might have happened; or rather "who" might have happened. Did Carim not see this? Or just not tell him? Would his warning come too late?

Instinctively, he clutched the disc in his hand, given to him by a dying man, who had once worked for the Bureau many years ago.

"_I've carried this truth for too long," the former security guard spoke in a low gravely voice, barely holding on as old age sapped his life. "But I can't go to my grave without telling someone. At the time, I was scared, and I didn't want to be caught, so I took the evidence with me and ran. It's yours now, and what you choose to do with it is up to you."_

His own death was probably close at hand, but he couldn't die until he had revealed what he had learned. That was why he had even managed to get a few of those anti-aging treatments, even though it made his skin crawl in revulsion. What he had to share was too important; they had to know!

And they were all so naïve to believe it was all a series of random, unfortunate incidents. What he had learned, had opened his eyes to what was really going on, although he still couldn't fathom the ultimate purpose. He now knew the "how" but the "why" part still eluded him, but it couldn't wait; as it was, he may have waited too long.

And now his fears told him he was too late, as he sat down on one of the fallen pillars to rest. If they found Carim's hideout, they may have also found the others; who else could he tell? After a moment, his head came back up, the momentary faltering of his resolve fading; he couldn't give up now, not while there was still a chance.

Verossa Acous knew there was still a possibility, but only if he could find her in time.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Dots. More dots. Can you find them, and draw the lines? =)

Title is from an old song, by the Byrds, and the implication is that there is a time for everything. A time for love, a time for hate, a time for war, a time for peace. There's a time for everything, which I feel fits the mood of this chapter.

Hmm, I wonder what I should do for 100 reviews? Perhaps an omake? Any requests? :P


	17. Bereft

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 17: Bereft**

Xx~~*~~xX

Liquid ice ran through Nanoha's veins, leaving her numb, unable to reconcile the vibrant memories of the hesitant, yet courageous girl she had known, with the idea that her lifeless body rested below.

_Caro..._

She could only stare at the various bouquets of flowers in front of the grave, which meant at least one person had been visiting this site quite often. Breaking out of her stupor, Nanoha knelt down and felt the petals of one of the flowers, a purple one, noting it still felt soft, indicating it had been placed quite recently. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, remembering the unsure, nervous girl that she had met all those years ago, and her promise to her that day in the helicopter.

_"Caro, it'll be okay," Nanoha told the younger girl, approaching her and taking Caro's head in her hands. "You don't need to get that nervous. Even if we're apart, we'll be connected by transmissions. You're not alone. We'll save each other when we're in trouble... and your magic can protect everyone. It's a kind and powerful magic. Okay?"_

A tear traveled down Nanoha's cheek, which she quickly wiped. [I'm sorry, Caro, that I wasn't there for you, that I couldn't save you.] Somehow, of all the people that had passed away in the intervening years, Caro's passing hit her harder than any other. Or perhaps it was just the fact that it was yet another senseless death in a long line of them, that was slowly pushing her over the edge.

Her fist clenched as her eyes flew open again, and then she rose to her feet. [I'll make things up to you, somehow. But right now, there's someone I need to see.]

She took to the air, making the short hop back to the cabin, landing as "Edward" came out the front door. She studied him, now seeing the similarities in the height and hair color, although the dark red color had faded to the more rustic one he sported now. There was still a chance she could be wrong, though she doubted it.

He glanced at her once, then turned and headed to the coop to get some eggs. "Breakfast will be-"

"Your real name isn't Edward, is it?" she stated as gentle a manner as she could; if she was right, then she understood what he must be feeling.

He paused, somehow sensing things had changed, then echoed her question. "Your real name isn't Seikou, either, is it?"

She shook her head. "I deserve that. I'm Nanoha, or at least a clone of her; I have all her memories, so I feel like her. I'm sorry for lying to you. But I saw Caro's grave not far from here, at the site of the old nature preserve headquarters. I'm sorry... Erio."

His shoulders very visibly drooped. "I didn't want you to see that. Erio died that day, too."

"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked, her voice softening.

"She died in the war, fighting against Hayate," he replied simply. "That is all. And now I think it's time for you to leave. You should be good enough for travel."

"Wait, if you two fought against Hayate, then I need your help," Nanoha stated urgently. "Yuuno sent me here to look for Vivio. In less than two months, we're going to organize an assault against Clanagan, and I could use your hel-"

"No," he told her, shaking his head, his back still to her. "The war is over. You can do what you like, but I just want to live out the rest of my days here, alone and in peace."

"The war was 20 years ago," Nanoha stated carefully. "Do you think Caro would want you to stay sad like this forever? You can still do so much good! The Erio I remember was one who would do anything to fight for those he cared about, and there is a lot of people you can still hel-"

"NO!" he shouted, spinning to glare at her. "I told you, the war is over! even after we lost her, I continued to fight, but Hayate still won! Nothing we can do now can change that. I just want to live out my life here, near Caro. I think I've done enough to earn that!"

Nanoha felt her heart drop, realizing that any argument she made now wouldn't reach him; and she found she couldn't blame him, either. "I suppose you have, I'm sorry."

He shrugged, then turned around and resumed his trek to the chicken coop. "I'll give you some supplies for your trip, but that's all. And I'll warn you that it isn't too safe out there; ever since the preserve lost funding and the rangers left or died off, the animals have broken out of their areas and spread across the continent."

"Thank you," she told him, biting her lip. "Can you at least tell me where Vivio is? I was sent here to find her, but I wasn't told exactly where she is."

"I don't know, sorry," Erio replied, a tinge of regret in his voice.

Nanoha's head lowered. "I see, thanks anyway."

She fell silent then, as Erio assembled a variety of fruits and dried meats in a leather pouch. What else could she say? His spirit had been broken. Still, she smiled and thanked him for taking care of her as he handed her the food-filled leather pouch and a canteen. He merely nodded slightly in response.

She watched him turn around and re-enter his home, then Nanoha took one last look at the humble cabin, smoke drifting out of the chimney, before turning around and leaving, a tear in her eye.

x~~*~~x

Givo sat against the wall with the rest of the prisoners, only taking notice of the hum and slight vibration of the ship while trying to ignore everyone else. He wasn't technically one of them, having just gotten caught up with the rebels when Nanoha/Seikou (he still wondered which to call her) went along with them, but it didn't change the fact of what had happened.

He did notice that the other dozen prisoners were sitting apart from Rubella, who had stayed in her corner ever since they were put in here. The most seriously injured had finally been healed enough to rejoin their brethren, the Saint Church nun had managed to buy them some more time to recover before transport, and now the rebel base operation was finally winding down and the prisoners were being transported to holding areas, their fates to be determined by the Bureau.

But none of the healing and care bought Rubella any sympathy once word had spread that she had betrayed them by leaking the location of the base, her personal motives for doing so notwithstanding. Despite the speech she had given him, Givo found himself agreeing more with the rebels; he had faced loss himself due to what he perceived as betrayal and the Bureau. While he didn't feel you could really fight the Bureau, he thought her desire to stop the fighting altogether until her precious saint returned was pretty stupid.

[You can only rely on yourself.] The lesson had been hard drilled into him, and reinforced when he took a chance to help those he hated; it only served to get him buried, injured, and captured. His head was still bandaged, and his body reduced to sore muscles, but his greater injuries had been healed.

"So, I hear you're the kid that came in with Seikou?"

Givo looked over at the woman with short red hair that had suddenly slid next to him, realizing that she looked a bit younger than his mom. "I guess I am."

"Do you think she'll save us?" she asked, quite interested in his opinion. "There's a rumor going around that the Bureau killed her, but I'm not so sure. At least, that's what the guards told us, and that she wouldn't be coming to rescue us."

Memories flashed through Givo's mind, and despite his confused feelings about the woman, he did feel something slightly uncomfortably in his gut. "Maybe, but I doubt it. I think we're on our own, anyway."

The woman leaned her head back against the bulkhead and sighed. "And the guards said that the ship carrying Corona went down and exploded several days ago, with all hands lost, so that just leaves Rio, although the soldiers say she was caught in a large explosion to the north. Maybe you're right; maybe we are all that's left. Even if some escaped, the resistance is dead."

Givo had heard the same things from the Bureau personnel, but he also recognized that the soldiers could have been lying. Either way, it didn't make much difference to him.

"Some want to give up, but I'm not going to," she said firmly. "The shuttle escaped, and without proof, I'm going to believe Seikou, and our leaders got away, which means they'll come to rescue us. The oracle has never been wrong before, so I know she'll save us. After all, I heard she destroyed an entire Bureau regiment by herself! By the way, I'm Layla."

"Givo," the young teen responded, eyeing her strangely. "And it wasn't exactly a reg-"

"The Sarge told me she was really strong, too," Layla continued, almost oblivious. "Anyway, I talked with the others, and we plan to stick together and try to escape when we can. We're not gonna give up. And we'd like you to join us. We can get you back to your parents."

He turned away from her. "My parents are dead."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she told him, alarmed, laying a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I don't know who my parents are, either. Well, I was raised by Uncle Owen as a war orphan, like a lot of kids." She paused, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Still, we'll get out of this somehow, alright?"

"I suppose," he replied, then glanced over into the corner again. "What about her?"

"The sister?" Layla questioned, following his gaze, then bit her lip. "The others don't want to include her, for obvious reasons. I think you can understand."

He did, but he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He could only look at the older woman woman sitting in the corner, knees up to her chest, gaze staring straight ahead at nothing, and conclude that she looked much like he felt.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha followed a narrow trail, finding her heart heavy; she wasn't sure where it led, but she didn't know exactly where she should be heading, either. She couldn't help but feel Erio's pain; he had apparently been married to Caro, and so would have loved her very much. Thus it was easy to see how the loss of the summoner had made him retreat into himself, which explained why he was living like a hermit.

And she still didn't know where Vivio was. Yuuno had told Nanoha to find her daughter, but how was she supposed to do that? If Vivio was even on Supool, how was Nanoha to find her? And how long would the foodstuffs inside the large pouch last her? Where was the nearest town? She realized she hadn't asked him, which made her briefly debate going back, but in the end she decided against it.

Frustrated, Nanoha scanned the horizon, noticing for the first time she hadn't seen anyone else in the area, no signs of life other than animals, nor any drones. She wondered if perhaps no one lived in this area at all, due to the way the creatures from the preserve had overrun the continent. If that was the case, then she'd have to cross an ocean to find civilization in order to replenish food as well as gather information.

Then she paused as a thought struck her. "Raging Heart, do you know where Vivio is located?"

"I am sorry but that information is not in my databanks," her device replied with a tinge of regret.

Nanoha sighed. "Yuuno was probably planning to teleport me straight to Vivio, so he wouldn't have needed to upload that information. Can you display a map of the planet? Is that in your databanks?"

"Yes, my master," Raging Heart answered, opening up a holographic screen.

Nanoha studied the display as it zoomed in from the picture of the entire planet, to a map of just the continent she was on. She absently swatted a bug buzzing near her ear, trying to decide on a course of action. She recalled Erio mentioning once before that there was a harbor trading post for hunters a day's journey from his cabin, so she highlighted the stretches of coast on the east where it could be. She figured her best bet was to head straight east, then work her way south once she hit the beach; that way, she'd be sure to find it. After that, she could try to catch a ride across the ocean.

But what if Vivio was on this continent? If she took a boat, she might be heading the wrong way.

Nanoha sighed in frustration and swatted at the bug that had returned to her ear, deciding that at least she would need supplies and information, so either way, heading to the trading post would be the best thing she could do right now.

She close the map, then angrily swatted at the insect a third time, twirling and preparing a small spell to kill it, but froze as it floated there, almost unmoving. [Something about it... like I've seen pictures of it before...] "Raging Heart, is that...?"

"There is a 98.7% probability match with records on file," her device informed her, reading her mind as the twin-legged gray bug floated up higher, then stopped again and did a series of figure-eights.

Nanoha bit her lip. "I'll take those odds, if this means what I think it means."

"Axel Fin!" Raging Heart announced, helping to activate her flight spell.

Nanoha reached eye level with the bug again, and was rewarded when it moved farther away before pausing once more. She smiled, taking off after it, and as it flew away this time, it didn't stop but kept moving in a straight line, moving at a speed that the cloned mage could easily keep up with.

Nanoha felt her spirits began to lift, even moreso when a second identical bug joined it, and then a third after that. Soon, there was a swarm flying around her moving at the exact same speeds, and some even began to seemingly dance a bit as they flew. A part of Nanoha's mind told her that maybe she should be a bit more cautious, but strangely she wasn't. Instead, unable to help herself, she let loose a small laugh and did a few mid-air twirls, wind in her hair, the insects continuing their dance as they guided her along.

She wasn't sure how long they flew, although it seemed like at least thirty minutes before the bugs ceased their dance and slowed, angling back down into the forest below. She took note of where they were heading, a small open meadow that appeared to be a bit too unnaturally circular. She landed in the middle as the bugs lined up on either side, creating a path to the shade of the trees beyond. Nanoha took one step in that direction, before a figure emerged from the shadows and smiled at her.

The woman had certainly grown up over the years, but Nanoha had no doubt who it was.

"Lutecia!"

x~~*~~x

Fate tried her best to wipe the scowl from her face as she approached the door, and almost succeeded; she didn't want to be here.

"_I haven't had a report from you in a few days," Hayate intoned from the screen. "Thus, I thought it might be a good idea to check up on you."_

"_Everything is fine," Fate replied, keeping her face carefully neutral. "I should have a full report for you soon."_

"_I hear you managed to find Carim," Hayate probed. "I know you will want to interrogate her, but I would like you to bring her, and your other prisoners, back to Mid-Childa, as I have more effective interrogation methods. And I'll want a personal report. I'll give you two more days, but that's it."_

_Fate's jaw tightened, but she knew she couldn't disobey. "Yes, Hayate."_

Unfortunately, two more days hadn't been enough time to find out anything; Carim could only babble incoherently about darkness and a destroyer against the backdrop of thunder and lightning, whatever that meant. Even Yuuno and Shari seemed to be resisting, or crazy, as vague references to time travel were all they offered. Fate scoffed; it was a ridiculous concept, but even if they believed it, they may be trying to get the clone Nanoha to do something stupid.

As a clone herself, Fate wouldn't let that happen. [I'll protect you, Nanoha, even from yourself if I have to.]

Steeling herself, she entered Hayate's command room, finding it blissfully empty of any other individuals besides Hayate and the three technicians that manned the forward stations. "Fate Harlaown, reporting as _ordered_."

Hayate turned her chair, lips tugging upwards slightly, perhaps in amusement to the emphasis Fate put on the last word. "I know you wanted to continue your search, but you can resume it later. I've read your report, and your leads are at a dead end."

"But Nanoha is most likely still on Supool!" Fate protested. "And given that's where I found Schach, Carim, Yuuno and Shari, I believe Vivio is there, too. I was hoping to head back and resume the search."

Hayate steepled her fingers in front of her face as she leaned back, studying her Enforcer Commander. "I don't think you'll need to worry too much on that point. While it initially surprised me that Nanoha was suddenly on Supool, we found the busted teleportation device she must have used. That it took her to Yuuno, who disappeared even before the war, means that this is something that has been planned for a long time. And it means Yuuno is working with Jail, who still wants to defeat us. By your own report, Carim was also in contact with Yuuno, and now Nanoha is being told to find Vivio. Connect the dots, Fate-chan."

"Yuuno did mention that they planned to attack the Bureau again," the Enforcer Commander thought aloud, mentioning the one item she had gotten off Yuuno so far that she had shared in her earlier report to Hayate. "But even with Nanoha, that would be impossible."

"They must have a plan, and I need to find out what that is; that's why I wanted you to bring your prisoners back," the Supreme Commander explained. "Once I have you take care of something for me, I'll put you back out as bait to catch Nanoha and Vivio, putting an end to this."

Fate raised an eyebrow. "Bait?"

Hayate closed her eyes and paused to take a breath. "Ever since the Nakajima sisters' report, I've been thinking. If this is all a big plan as I suspect then there was a very deliberate reason to clone Nanoha, so she is the key."

Fate's thoughts drifted back to Yuuno's interrogation again. He had talked about time travel, about sending Nanoha back in time to undo all this; but these were things Fate hadn't yet shared with Hayate, mostly because she thought them fairly crazy at the time. Yuuno had offered it up rather easily, so it could have been to mislead her, although he had offered to say all he knew if Fate promised not to torture Shari. Although initial questioning of her ex-aide revealed Shari to share the same thoughts as Yuuno, Fate still found it rather crazy; time travel was impossible. And it reminded her of her mother; a good person gone bad trying to bring back a lost loved one.

But Fate picked up something else in Hayate's words. "So you're rescinding the order to have Nanoha killed then? I can take her alive?"

"From all I've learned, she has the original Nanoha's personality, so yes," Hayate continued, her eyes still closed while answering Fate's question. "I believe that if you put yourself out there, she'll eventually come to you, possibly hoping to win you over. And I think it's time we used this psychological warfare to our advantage; she's becoming known as Seikou, and there is a feeling spreading through the people that she is invincible and can defeat the Bureau easily. Already, I've had to divert some of Signum's troops to areas of Mid-Childa that are showing greater dissent. But if you can get her to stand with us..."

Fate was silent, not needing to answer as Hayate trailed off; they had been friends for a long time, and Nanoha appeared honestly apologetic while Shari teleported her away. That meant it might not have been fully what she wanted, so Yuuno and Shari were solely to blame. Thus, Fate realized she still might be able to convince Nanoha to stop whatever crazy plan the others were forcing her through, and get her back on the right side.

So decided, her head came up, her course set. "Don't worry, I'll convince Nanoha to do the right thing, by force if I have to." [Just like she did for me,] Fate added silently.

Hayate smiled and nodded. "Good. She's my friend, too, so we both have to do what we can to save her." The smiled disappeared. "But keep your head. She's still a clone of Jail's, and if you feel at any time that the personality is just a ruse and that she is Jail's creature, you have to be prepared to do what you must."

"I understand," Fate replied, having already considered that prospect; but deep down, she held no doubt as to which it was.

And she wouldn't let the one she cared for most in the world continue to be a patsy for Jail.

x~~*~~x

"It's good to see you again, Nanoha," Lutecia Alphine answered, smiling as the two women walked through the trees.

"How did you know who I was and where I was?" Nanoha asked, incredulous as the pair arrived at a small, white house hidden amongst the trees; it appeared far nicer than Erio's cabin.

The summoner held up a finger, letting one of the small gray bugs alight atop it. "I've actually been watching you for awhile through my insects. I keep an eye on that old gruff, and I was surprised to see he took you in last week. I didn't show myself because I don't intrude, and I wanted to see how he'd respond to you."

"You just keep an eye on Erio, but don't actually talk to him?" Nanoha questioned as the two entered the front door.

Lutecia lead her to the kitchen, and gestured towards one of the chairs on the patio. "Have a seat outside in the sun, and I'll make some tea." Nanoha head out through the kitchen's back door, and took a seat at the table outside as Lutecia continued to speak through the screened window separating them. "Anyway, you've seen how he is; gruff and antisocial. He's been in a bad way since we lost Caro, and I promised her I'd look out for him."

Nanoha's mood lowered a bit at the mention of the girl's name. "I saw the tombstone. What happened?"

Her host was silent, until she came back out with a teapot tray and two cups, placing it on the table and filling them. "It was early in the war, back when the sides were more even, before Hayate's superior manufacturing capacity slowly overwhelmed us. Rio had come up with a plan to strike at Clanagan directly, a swift stroke to bring down the Bureau directly. It didn't go too well."

"Thank you," Nanoha replied, receiving her tea, letting it cool a bit as she held in her hands.

"We went all out, and at first we were succeeding," Lutecia continued. "With Vivio's help, we were really pushing them back. Then Hayate unveiled the giants."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "Giants?"

"A pair of huge, metal, humanoid machines that outputted some sort of horrendously strong AMF that practically nullified our magic," she explained. "Even Vivio was almost powerless trying to fight them; they seemed to nullify everything for hundreds of meters around, while her army, which outnumbered us, switched to pure melee and mass-based weapons. That's when Caro summoned Voltaire and I brought out Hakutenou, figuring our best bet was to pit giant against giant for pure strength.

Her head lowered, a sad smile on her face. "But in the end, something distracted Voltaire and he was mortally wounded. Caro went into shock as our army went into full retreat, and I pulled back Hakutenou before the giants could double team him." Her head came up. "Do you know why a creature allows themselves to be bound to a summoner?"

Nanoha had some idea, but she never was quite sure, not being a summoner herself. "No. What does it mean? I had assumed it was like some form of familiar."

"There are several different types of summoner contracts, of which a familiar is one," Lutecia stated, looking up, her gaze far away. "With lower lifeforms and unintelligent creatures like my smaller grey bugs and the jiraiyo, they simply use my mana when I don't need it in order to help their colonies to thrive. In return, I can summon them for various tasks; overall, it's a form of symbiosis." She paused and shifted in her seat. "But for more intelligent creatures like Garyuu and Hakutenou, a different contract is used. In return for allowing us to summon them, we agree to let them draw on our mana so that they can essentially live forever. And if they are mortally wounded, the summoner's life is taken instead."

"So Caro gave up her life to restore Voltaire's?" Nanoha deduced, feeling oddly chilled by the true burden of a summoner's life.

Lutecia nodded. "Voltaire had desummoned himself the moment the fatal blow was struck, but it was too late. By the time Erio reached us, Caro's body was dissolving, her magic and very life force being taken by Voltaire to heal himself. Erio was naturally extremely distraught, but later grew angry. He managed to track down Voltaire in his lair on Algus after the war, demanding Caro be returned, but the great dragon didn't even acknowledge his presence. The priest caretakers of Voltaire's shrine had warned us that not even the great dragon could return life to the dead, and that Caro knew this from the beginning."

Nanoha glanced down into her tea, barely able to determine how she felt about all of this. Caro had never said a word about the burden she carried all these years, and Nanoha herself didn't know how she'd feel about taking on a summoner contract like that.

Her head came back up. "What about Friedrich?"

"He became unbound from his contract with Caro when she passed away," Lutecia answered. "Like Erio and I, he lives somewhere in the forest. I know he's nearby, as my bugs have spotted him flying around occasionally and it seems he keeps an eye on us both, Erio in particular. Despite not being in contract, the two were fairly close. And since Caro made me promise to look after Erio, I retired here to watch over him. He's probably aware I peek in from time-to-time with my insects, but he doesn't seem to care as long as I don't bother him."

"It still saddens me that he's let his grief over Caro consume him," Nanoha remarked aloud, then noticed Lutecia's facial features shift. "What?"

"It wasn't just Caro," the other woman stated slowly. "They had a daughter named Eris that we lost track of during the war. We don't think she was killed as we never found her body, but she went missing just the same. We spent years searching, however the trail eventually ran cold, and Erio was finally forced to give up after several years."

Nanoha was silent, taking an occasional sip of tea as she digested everything Lutecia had told her, but it still saddened her that it was yet another tragic loss that happened in the years she had been gone. Unconsciously, her thoughts drifted back to Yuuno's time travel plan; If he was right, then she could undo all of this, and Erio and Caro could have another chance at living out their lives. The weight of that choice, that mission, was heavy on her shoulders.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and then decided she needed to lighten the mood with a change in conversation topics.

"I'm sorry, I haven't even asked how you're doing," Nanoha stated, setting down her teacup, somewhat embarrassed. "How have you been holding up all these years? You aren't lonely at all?"

"Not at all," Lutecia replied with a genuinely warm smile. "I have my insects, and my mother lived with me up until she passed away ten years ago; don't worry, she died from natural causes and led a full life. I knew it was coming for awhile, so I had a chance to prepare. I miss her, but I know she wouldn't want me to give in to despair the way Erio has. And life has been peaceful since we retired here after the war."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow. "Peaceful? Doesn't the Bureau come after you?"

The summoner grinned wryly after taking a sip her tea. "This continent is seen mostly as a no man's land, due to the wide variety of magical animals running loose around here." She gestured towards the forest with her arm, smiling mischievously. "Besides a few game hunters, no one else comes here due to the danger. There are still sentinel drones that make random flyovers, but my little insects take care of it, interfacing with the drone and feeding it false information until they get out of range. As far as the Bureau knows, there's nobody here."

Nanoha finally realized that, for the first time, she hadn't remembered seeing any drones since arriving at Erio's place; now she knew why. Since Lutecia's house wasn't that far from his cabin, odds are she was protecting him from discovery, too.

"You haven't asked about me, yet," Nanoha noted, absently stirring her tea with the spoon. "I know we didn't have much contact before, so I'm partly surprised you recognized me at all. But aren't you curious how I am here now? And how could you know I wasn't part of the Bureau?"

Lutecia smiled as lowered her own cup. "It was a bit of a risk, I'll admit, but as I've been studying you for awhile, it didn't seem like you were. You would have turned in Erio the moment you figured out who he was. I also wanted to see if you'd have an effect on him; what happened was to be expected, though, I suppose. I'm still a bit disappointed in him. I did catch you telling Erio that you were a clone, though." Her smile turned into a bit of a smirk. "And Garyu has had you targeted ever since you arrived; he's a bit overprotective, but dependable."

Nanoha blinked and glanced around. "I don't see him..."

The summoner laughed. "You wouldn't. It's okay, Garyu, you can stop now. I think she's safe enough."

Out of the corner of her eye, Nanoha finally saw the humanoid bug fade into existence as he retracted the blade that he had pointed at her back. She was forced to admit that she hadn't felt his presence at all, so if Lutecia had wanted her dead, the summoner could have easily had it done. Garyu continued to watch her as he jumped to a perch on the roof, but he did nod in her direction. Nanoha nodded back, then returned to gaze to her host.

"Well, you're right, I am a clone, although I don't feel any different," Nanoha stated with a sigh. "Yuuno had Jail clone me, and I've been traveling all this time, trying to figure out the reason for that, and when I finally found Yuuno and he told me... what?"

Lutecia giggled. "I'm sorry, it's just your expression and attitude as you talked. As if it was a 'here we go again, having to explain all this yet again' thing. Although, I imagine it hasn't been easy on you, so perhaps I'm being a bit rude."

"No, truthfully I'm a bit numb to it all now," Nanoha opined, gazing into her teacup. "Or perhaps I've just accepted everything for what it is, and nothing surprises me much anymore, sad as it is. I've gotten a bit used to not knowing what's going on, or where I'm supposed to be going."

Lutecia nodded sympathetically, then smiled. "Well, since you have had contact with Yuuno, then it appears one of my guesses was correct and you are part of the plan."

That got Nanoha's attention. "You know about Yuuno and the plan?"

"I know about Yuuno and Carim, and that they were up to something, but no one knows all the details," she answered. "It's safer that way, in case one of us is caught. But I did receive the agreed-upon coded signal not too long ago that things were finally going to be set in motion; and then you appeared at Erio's place with Raging Heart."

"Do you know where Vivio is, then?" Nanoha asked eagerly, leaning forward.

The bug summoner grinned. "Sort of. I exchange letters with her occasionally by insect, but I don't know where she is. That information is solely contained within Asclepius here, and he has orders to delete it if it's ever in danger of being discovered." She raised her hand, showcasing the small bracelet on her wrist, from which a pair of purple jewels hung. "Asclepius, transfer protected data to Raging Heart, codeword: Dawn."

"Data transfer complete," the red jewel hanging from Nanoha's neck declared.

"It's up to you to safely protect that information," Lutecia instructed, her voice taking on a very serious tone. "No one else must learn of where Vivio is. I'm not sure why, only that it's important."

Nanoha nodded, taking her jewel in hand and commanding Raging Heart to install safeguards, as the reality hit her that she finally had the key to finding her daughter after all this time. "Thank you again, Lutecia. I owe you much; not just for this, but for looking out for Vivio."

The older woman smiled warmly. "It was my pleasure, really. Vivio, Caro, Erio, Rio and Corona and I were all pretty much inseparable after you passed away, due to our close age ranges. But as thanks, stay awhile, as I haven't had company in many years. It'll give me a chance to fix up a meal, and you can resume your journey tomorrow morning, alright?"

Nanoha readily agreed, accepting the other woman's hospitality. A warm bath in Lutecia's custom-made furo was also quite welcome after the cold water rinses in Erio's stream, and the summoner even fixed up some food in a medium-sized backpack for her to take. She explained that she'd love to teleport Nanoha straight there, but such a large spell would alert the drones, and she could only control a few in a certain radius. Still, she could give Nanoha a head start with a shorter-range teleport, along with some parting words.

"Say hello to Vivio for me," Lutecia told her as she warmed up her teleport spell. "I wish I could go with you, but I have to watch over Erio due to the promise I made to Caro. Still, I'll see about pounding some sense back into the old gruff's head, so we can help you out when the time comes. I'll be damned if I let him continue to sulk when we can make a difference."

Nanoha nodded, grateful, waving goodbye and promising to meet again as the spell was activated and she disappeared in a flash of purple light.

x~~*~~x

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shari asked from the next cell over, her arm reaching through the single barred window between them.

Yuuno squeezed her hand, adjusting his body a bit, his muscles feeling strained as if he had been running a marathon. "I'll live. The important thing is that you're unharmed."

"I really wish you'd stop trying to be the brave one," she admonished him, then sighed. "And now they know our portion of the plan. I could have taken anything Fate would have done to me; we both know she wouldn't have killed either of us."

"It was a calculated risk, and a logical one, as you know," he replied, sighing. "Besides, they still don't know everything, because we don't, and I doubt she believed what we told her, anyway. At least I fed her information that she expected to hear. And whatever happens, I think events are set, and none of us can change them now."

"Because of your Nanoha vision," she replied, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

Yuuno smiled softly. "It would validate one of your theories. I think-"

A pair of thuds sounded from outside the door to their cell room, cutting Yuuno off. Shari had heard it, too, and thus had mimicked him by going quiet as well. The door slid open and a mysterious figure backed into the brig room, dragging the non-moving pair of Enforcers that were standing guard outside. Once inside, the unknown individual shut the door, then turned to the two prisoners, face hidden due to the shadow cast by a hooded cloak.

"I'll have you two out in a second," she said, pulling out something that Yuuno thought looked like a handgun, pointing it at the lock to his cell. "I've messed with the sensors to this room to display a recorded feedback loop, but odds are they'll discover it shortly."

"Who are you?" Yuuno asked as the woman fired a surprisingly quiet shot that blasted his lock open, and then repeated it for his wife's cell.

"I recognize that device!" Shari declared, astonished as she came out of her prison. "I never forget a device I've built; Silver Dagger! Which means you're-"

The device technician trailed off as the woman pulled off her hood, baring a head of short, faded, light-brown hair, with red eyes. Yuuno didn't recognize her, but Shari obviously did. Before he could ask, though, their rescuer spoke.

"Runessa Magnus," she told them in a low even voice. "I'm here to rescue you two."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

"What the hell? Did Kaijo just put in someone who has actually managed to survive the passage of time, and _isn't_ completed screwed up!" Statistically speaking, it had to be possible. ;p Anyway, title is from a poem by Robert Frost, which I felt was fitting for various reasons you can probably guess:

_"Where had I heard this wind before_

_Change like this to a deeper roar?_

_What would it take my standing there for,_

_Holding open a restive door,_

_Looking down hill to a frothy shore?_

_Summer was past and the day was past._

_Sombre clouds in the west were massed._

_Out on the porch's sagging floor,_

_Leaves got up in a coil and hissed,_

_Blindly striking at my knee and missed._

_Something sinister in the tone_

_Told me my secret may be known:_

_Word I was in the house alone_

_Somehow must have gotten abroad,_

_Word I was in my life alone,_

_Word I had no one left but God."_

For those curious, I will be continuing Whipped; it's just that I am placing priority on this fic. Speaking of which, because I got over 100 reviews, you get an Omake!

Xx~~*~~xX

Hayate: "You've done well, Enforcer Harlaown. And now, I sense that you wish to continue your search for young Takamachi."

Fate: "Yes, my master."

Hayate: "Patience, my friend. In time, she will seek _you_ out. "

Fate: "She will come to me?"

Hayate: "Her compassion for you will be her undoing. She will come to you, and then you will bring her before me. Only together, can we turn her to the Dark Side of the magic."

Fate: "As you wish."

(For the Star Wars nerds, yes, I did kinda smoosh two separate scenes together for this, heh)


	18. Price

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 18: Price**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha awoke and sat up, rubbing her eyes as the last vestiges of her dream began to fade; or rather, perhaps nightmare would have been more appropriate, but for whatever reason, it hadn't been as bad as some of the ones she had experienced when staying with Erio. She wondered if perhaps the uncertainty and doubt over her departure from Yuuno and Shari's house had affected her mental state, and now that she was finally on the path to finding Vivio, her higher spirits were translating into better sleep.

Still, she had experienced a small fraction of the previous nightmare, the white background and the blurry, unrecognizable face, but none of the desperation or anguish of imminent death. [My subconscious is probably focusing in on that face, but why am I even having this reoccurring dream in the first place?]

She shook her head and began packing up camp after a quick breakfast; trying to figure this out was just leading her in circles, so she shelved those thoughts for later; right now, she had to focus on her journey. She had been traveling for a couple of days now, but couldn't even guess at how far she would have to go before she reached wherever it was that her daughter had hidden herself. Of course, the questions of why that was and what part in all this Vivio played were also mysteries, but at least they were ones that Nanoha would have answers to in time.

As had become habit, Nanoha brought out Raging Heart and asked for directions once she was ready to go, a pink arrow appearing on the red jewel after a few moments. That was how the directions came; instead of telling her outright, the information gained from Asclepius merely enabled Raging Heart to work like a compass, but substituting her daughter's concealed location for traditional north. In truth, she had realized she was moving in a more southwesterly direction, but could only vaguely guess at how far she'd actually have to travel.

However, she figured out the possible reason Lutecia had this particular method; if the Bureau gained access to it, they'd still be relegated to following like Nanoha was, and thus their approach would give Vivio ample warning to slip away if need be.

At times she could barely contain her excitement, taking short flight hops over more difficult and rolling terrain when she noticed the sky was clear of drones. Only two patrols of sentinels had come anywhere near her in the two days she had been traveling, but both times, they had moved rather quickly giving her very little time to hide, so she was always wary to make sure she wasn't discovered.

She adjusted her pack as she crested a hill, wondering how her daughter had grown over the years and what she looked like now, when she heard a cry somewhere in the distance. Nanoha knew right away it didn't belong to an animal, as she had grown used to hearing those. Curious about it sounding more human in nature, she made sure the area was clear and then leapt into the air when the scream echoed again, allowing her to quickly pinpoint the source of the distress.

There, in a clearing several dozen meters from the base of the tall hill, a large barely-humanoid figure with large bat-like wings was chasing a woman. Nanoha recognized the creature as a gargoyle as she flew in, activating Raging Heart and her barrier jacket while dropping her backpack along the path. The limping woman, wearing the greens of a forest ranger, barely managed to dodge the fireballs the creature was spitting, but she had just backed into a large boulder that left her nowhere else to run. And now the creature had dropped to all fours, preparing to pounce and finish off its prey.

Nanoha didn't waste time shifting Raging Heart, keeping it in standard Axel Mode to fire off a dozen Axel Shooter magic missiles while flying in. The creature jumped to the side, partially shielding itself with a large wing as the pink rain hammered at it, but the action failed to draw its attention from the woman. It continued with a few more sideways jumps, than rapidly ran in an arc to avoid the follow-up shots, coming back at the woman with a frightening speed, its razor-sharp jaws dripping with saliva. Her salvo spent, Nanoha knew she'd never get off another volley, leaving her with only one option.

"Flash Move!" Raging Heart chirped.

Nanoha felt an inward sigh of relief that she made it just in time, appearing between the woman and the creature and blocking its sharp claws with a prepared Round Shield from her right hand. The gargoyle roared and spit another fireball that splashed against the barrier, but Nanoha's shield remained intact.

"Are you okay?" Nanoha asked over her shoulder without actually looking back. "Hold on a moment, and I'll deal with this."

Nanoha focused her magic through the shield, finally repulsing the creature, but as it hit the ground, it came in again on all fours, much angrier than before. Setting her feet in a firm stance and switching Raging Heart to Buster Mode, she prepared to fire while gathering her magic.

However, she never got the chance to fire.

"I'm fine," came the voice from behind, the tone lacking all the traces of the earlier fear.

Before Nanoha could question it, she felt something strike her back and voltage course through her body, sending her body into spasms as her muscles contracted of their own will. Raging Heart began to respond by regulating her magic into her auto-barrier to counteract it, but before it could do too much the gargoyle had knocked the device from Nanoha's hand with a powerful swipe.

Then it was over, and the world tilted sideways as Nanoha's body gave up the struggle to remain upright, falling listlessly to the ground. As she stared up into the sky, the face of the woman filled it, her earlier expression of terror having been replaced by an amused grin. She was holding a small device with a short, red dagger formed of magic jutting from it, occasional sparks of electricity crackling along the blade, looking almost like some kind of taser.

"As I said, I'm fine," she repeated casually. "But you have a problem."

x~~*~~x

Hayate strode into the lab, hoping whatever news awaiting her would brighten her sour mood that had been in effect ever since learning of Yuuno and Shari's escape. It didn't make sense; they were in one of the most secure holding cells in Clanagan, and yet somehow managed to escape with nary a trace, except for the busted locks that her forensics experts had determined was due to a projectile weapon and those were tightly regulated and tracked.

So who would have one of those and still know enough about security to arrange such a stunt?

The Supreme Commander didn't know, but as Schach didn't know much and Carim's mind too far gone for even Rein to read, it meant Hayate was in a most sour mood; it almost felt like all possible avenues of information were closing off to her, leaving her in the dark about what was going on. And that was a position she keenly felt uncomfortable being in.

But as she took note of the equipment and various holograph screens scattered everywhere inside the lab, she hoped the news she had received indicated that the years of research and development had finally borne fruit. It would be just what she needed to brighten her day, and although at first glance there didn't seem to be anyone present, Hayate knew better.

"You wanted to see me?" Hayate spoke to the seemingly empty lab.

"Hayat-OW!" came a female voice to the tune of something slamming the middle examination table that caused it to shake slightly, and then Mariel Atenza slowly rose from behind it, rubbing her head.

"Are you alright?" Hayate inquired, moving to check the woman; even after all these years, the head scientist of her R&D division hadn't changed much.

Mariel chuckled nervously. "Eheh heh heh, I'm fine! I was just adjusting some of the components on the examination table, readying it for the transfer."

That got Hayate's full attention. "Were you able to completed both then?"

"Oh, yes!" the scientist replied, attitude seemingly changing as she walked over to one of the screens with a holographic keyboard and began typing. "Well, as much as possible, I think. See for yourself. Activating..."

Hayate turned as two cylindrical chambers opened to the side, displaying one clothed male and one female, their eyes closed. Hayate's heart jumped into her chest as she took a hesitant step forward, noting the faint traces of breathing that elevated them from mere inanimate figures, to real flesh-and-blood living beings; or as close as they could come, anyway.

"Shamal, Zafira..." she breathed, expecting them to come alive at any moment, but when they didn't, Hayate turned around. "I thought you said they were complete?"

"Almost," Mariel cautioned. "It wasn't an easy task, but per your instructions, I have done my best to recreate them. The physical shells were the easiest part, but it took some time to fashion artificial linker cores by taking some of yours, and then keeping that matrix intact during growth and implantation; it took several years, which you know. But I also had to create personality templates from scratch and then fill those with data, and that's what took the vast majority of time."

"So you really did it?" Hayate said in wonder, turning back to study the two reconstituted members of the Wolkenritter.

"Close," Mariel admitted. "The personality matrices are still a bit incomplete. The Bureau had a lot of data on the Book of Darkness from before you became its mistress, and we had plenty of data on your knights from examinations afterward, but they aren't exact copies, either; we only had scattered memories on file and not even the addition of the information from your linker core nor your own memories completely fills out the blanks, so their personalities might be a bit off at first. However, I've gone as far as I can in here. The next step would be to connect them with your device like Signum and Vita have been, and let them experience life, and anything they lack in personality and memories, will be made up with actual life experiences; it will just take some time for them to develop back to what they were."

Hayate brought out the Tome of the Night Sky, hesitating for only a moment before laying it down on the table; any price was worth having her family whole again. "How long will it take?"

Mariel began hooking the device up to her computer system. "Several days. I'd like to take this slowly and surely to make sure it's done right. It's a sensitive progress. I also have a few more of the upgrades and fail-safe programs you wanted installed ready, so I'd like to take this time and integrate them as well. I can provide you with another device in the meantime, if you like."

"No, that's alright," the mistress of the Wolkenritter replied, turning back to gaze at her two missing family members. "I understand. I'll check back daily to see how your progress is going, but in the meantime, I have some things to take care of."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Marial suddenly spouted as the Supreme Commander headed for the door. "You're due for your regular anti-aging treatment. I was supposed to remind you."

Hayate paused, thinking; Mariel's most famous invention made her feel a bit uncomfortable, since there was that lingering feeling in the back of her mind that people weren't supposed to live forever, but counter-balanced by her need to lead the Bureau. "I'll return later tonight for it. Don't worry, I won't delay it again like I've done before."

As Hayate turned her back and left the room, Mariel placed a hand in her white frock pocket while the corners of her lips turned upwards ever so slightly.

x~~*~~x

The mysterious woman wasted no time in snapping hand and ankle cuffs on the helpless Nanoha, the cloned mage's muscles still numb and unresponsive due to the powerful stunning magic; she couldn't even form words at the moment to ask what was going on. She could just barely see the hunched-over gargoyle standing nearby, all traces of the earlier aggression gone, which meant it was never a threat to begin with. That led her to the conclusion that this was all a setup.

But why? For her? The woman didn't look familiar; Nanoha couldn't place the face or magical style with anyone she knew.

"Make sure she's secure, Janja," came a male voice from out of Nanoha's line of sight.. "We can't have our prize escaping on us. Not only is she worth a lot of money, but if we're right, we can nab that bigger prize."

[Bounty Hunters?] Nanoha wondered as Janja finished with the chains and steel binds.

"I know, Jarm," Janja replied while crossing tight chains across Nanoha's body to properly secure her. "Don't take this personally, but there's quite a price on you, honey. It's just business. Deactivate your barrier jacket or we'll break your legs."

"You're mages," Nanoha finally said at last, regaining some measure of control over her voice as her normal clothes returned. "If you turn me in, they'll take you, too."

"Not if we forgo the bounty in exchange for a promise to not draft us into the Bureau army," Jarm told her with a grin as the gargoyle picked Nanoha up and swung her over its shoulder, Nanoha finally catching sight of the man. "We've been hiding here for quite awhile, but our luck won't hold out forever. We're already wanted by the Bureau, so it's only a matter of time until they find us. But if we have something suitably valuable to trade..."

Nanoha took the hint as the trio set off into the forest with her in tow, realizing from the way the gargoyle was acting and taking orders from Jarm, that it must be his summoned creature. "So what are you doing? You're not taking me to the Bureau now?"

"Not yet," the Jarm confirmed from his position just in front of her and the gargoyle. "We've spent the last couple of weeks tracking a certain prey, but every time, it's managed to evade our traps. But for some reason, it seems to be following you. We noticed a couple of days ago, and decided to use you as bait." He finally glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and don't try anything funny or try to escape, or Goille will break your arms and legs."

"Do you know who I am?" Nanoha inquired.

Janja laughed from the front of the procession as they marched along a narrow forest path. "Seikou, the Starlight Destroyer. Supposed to have taken out not one, but two Bureau Armies in one shot, but you know how those legends get. You certainly don't look so tough. But ironically, that means you got a fairly large price put on your head, and we aim to collect."

Nanoha perceived an opening. "Yes, I'm fighting against the Bureau, along with many others, and the resistance could use a couple of powerful mages like you. If you joined us and helped us bring down the Bureau, you wouldn't have to live in fear, nor make these deals."

To her surprise, the pair began to laugh, the male removing his fedora and wiping his forehead with his arm. "Now that's funny! Overthrow the Bureau? Ha! They've been in power a long time, and they'll continue to be for a whole lot longer. That Supreme Commander is one shrewd individual, having fended off attempts to remove her before; no one has gotten close. Despite what myths surround you, no one has that much power, to be able to take down the Bureau. No, the best thing for you is to keep your yap shut throughout all this; you'll stay in one piece at least."

Nanoha bit her lip and fell silent then, figuring further communication was pointless; the pair were obviously not going to listen. She had encountered similar stories all over; the Bureau had been in charge a long time, and entire generations of people had grown up under their umbrella. Most people had given up hope for anything better, and just settled for living day-to-day.

With these two in particular, it was quite evident the degree to which they had worked out not only her capture, but their plans for keeping their freedom. As she had learned from Erio and Lutecia, hiding here, while dangerous, worked very well. If they could secure their freedom, however, they would be able to leave this area and travel freely; an attractive prospect for wanted mages, Nanoha had to admit, being one herself.

So that only left her wondering exactly what prey they were seeking that she was supposed to serve as bait for. They refused to answer that question, and once again told her to be quiet or else they'd gag her, so Nanoha let it dropped and lapsed into silence once more, instead focusing her thoughts on how to escape.

Ironically enough, she was given such a chance not too much later.

Not far into their trip, Janja, leading the small group as the person on point, was suddenly swept up into the air. For a split second, Jarm and Nanoha stared at the woman caught in a tight net that hanging from a tree, before the retort of a bullet split the air and brought them out of their bewilderment. Just as Nanoha wondered what the target was, she felt the chains and cuffs around her ankles and lower legs loosen considerably. A second shot rang out, but the gargoyle had already reacted, spreading it's large left wing over Jarm, and the bullet pinged off it's tough, stone-like hide.

Still, Jarm hit the ground shortly thereafter and rolled off the trail and into the underbrush. "Goille, track where the shots are coming from and get them!"

Nanoha found herself roughly dropped to the ground as well, while Goille the gargoyle took to the air, noting that Jarm didn't seem to be watching her, but scanning the vicinity instead, looking for their mysterious attacker. Nanoha didn't know who was behind this, but apparently they were trying to help her and she wasn't about to let this chance go to waste; despite her arms still being locked behind her back, she managed to drag herself to her feet and take off running..

"Dammit!" Janja cursed, as she tried cutting the net with one of her magic daggers. "Jarm, stop her! She's getting away!"

Nanoha dove off the trail to the side as she heard him chant a spell, just in time for a tree next to her to split open and explode. She rolled through the brush, branches leaving red scratches along her arms and legs, but managed to come back upright while spitting out dirt and resuming her sprint. The sound of blood pumping echoed in her ears as she ran, feeling loud enough to where she was sure it was broadcasting her position, but it was more likely they could easily hear the cracking twigs and rustling bushes that she passed through. She realized that there was probably only one real way to escape their reach, and while risky, she'd have to chance it.

Nanoha activated Flier Fin, taking to the air to the sound of a large crash in the forest. Right after passing the tree tops, she caught the sight of a slightly larger tree tipping over in the distance from the edges of her peripheral vision. Nanoha glanced over just in time to see several more follow it like dominoes, but then she shifted her face forward again and concentrated on getting away.

Her combat instincts suddenly kicked in, however, and quickly pulled back a split second before a shape flew past her. Pausing, Nanoha gazed calmly at Janja floating several meters in front of her with a glowing red dagger in each hand. Her senses also told her there was something big floating behind her, and she didn't have to glance back to realize it was the gargoyle. A few quick mental calculations brought her to the same conclusion Janja had apparently already reached; even if Nanoha could out-fly the two, she couldn't do much, if any, attacking. They'd eventually get her.

"Part of me wants you to try," Janja told her, lips curling upwards slightly. "I understand that you're some kind of hotshot mage if the Bureau wants you so badly, and if the rumors are even half true. But I'd never hear the end of it from Jarm if I let pleasure override business."

Nanoha nodded, and simply floated there limply as the two advanced on her, the gargoyle grabbing her arms while Janja bound her legs with magic, then took her back to Jarm.

"It was eyepatch again," he told them as they landed. "She's most likely crushed under the trees this time, though, so we shouldn't have to worry about her again."

"That's what you said the last two times," Janja nearly growled at him. "We should get moving to really try and lose her this time."

"Eyepatch?" Nanoha wondered aloud, wondering who it could be.

"None of your concern," Jarm informed her succinctly. "And that was real stupid, trying to get away. Attempt it again, and we really will break some limbs. Apparently, you're worth more alive and in one piece, than dead... but not by much."

Nanoha took the hint and held her tongue as the group resumed their trek. Still, she occasionally glanced off to the side where dust could still be seen above the treetops and wondering what had become of her would-be savior.

x~~*~~x

"Ah, welcome to my humble abode!" Quattro greeted her visitor with a delightful smile. "What can I do for you?"

Teana kept her gaze steady, glancing around at the small quarters that doubled as the #4 cyborg's lab as she entered. "You know why I'm here; I heard the story from Nove. Why did you set my sisters up?"

"My goodness, I don't know what you mean," Quattro replied with an innocent tone, placing her hands on her cheeks in mock surprise.

"Please don't embarrass yourself by playing dumb," Teana nearly growled at her, but inwardly keeping her head; she knew getting information out of the cyborg wasn't going be easy and any chance she had would be gone if she lost her temper. "You said you'd cover for Nove, and you made up that fake evidence about Wendi. Why? Oh, before you answer, let me do this."

She brought out Cross Mirage, still in card form, and placed it on a nearby table attached to the wall, and then stepped back while the device intoned, "Activating Cone of Silence."

Teana locked eyes with Quattro as an opaque orange barrier encompassed the pair, taking up most of the room. There, this barrier blocks all sound and images, so you can speak freely. I have no recording devices on me, but you can check if you would like. Anything you say will remain between us."

She knew Quattro would never say anything as long as it could be recorded, but it was also a calculated risk since Teana might not be able to prove anything Quattro said. Still, the cyborg seemed to appear a bit impressed by the actions.

"Well, well, you appear to be quite serious," Quattro remarked, making a show of flourishing her tan robe while sitting down on her couch in a grand manner. "But why should that matter to me?"

Teana allowed a small smile to show. "Because you want me to know, otherwise you wouldn't have deliberately set Nove up like that. You like your games, but they aren't any fun unless you have someone playing against you; you need an opponent. You have quite the plot brewing, but it means nothing unless you can show your opponents how badly they've been played with and beaten." She shrugged. "Or maybe your plot this time is so weak that you can't even give me hints."

Quattro laughed, a delicious cat-like grin appearing on her face. "Oh my my, you are quite interesting today. But how could I have a plot brewing when my IS is under strict control and my movement is closely monitored? Anything I did would be uncovered instantly."

"Not close enough, apparently," Teana accused, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hayate took you too lightly. You must have found some way to bypass her measures."

"What makes you think I did?" Quattro inquired, spreading her arms in front of her body in an exaggerated motion. "Maybe her majesty authorized everything I did?"

Teana's eyes narrowed. "Hayate wouldn't deliberately set Nove and Wendi up. You and I both know that."

Quattro shrugged. "Well, you have a problem, then. If I couldn't do it, and her majesty wouldn't authorize it, then there's no one left."

"You have someone helping you," Teana realized, her eyes widening. "Someone who can remain undetected in the system. Who?" When Quattro merely smiled instead of responding, Teana made a gun sign with her hand, pointing her finger at the cyborg's forehead while an orange ball of magic formed at the tip. "Tell me!"

Quattro's gaze didn't waver. "You'll never find out anything if you shoot me. And Hayate won't be too happy. She still wants me alive for some reason."

Teana's lip curled upward slightly in a snarl, the orange bullet floating there innocently as the two glared at each other for several moments. The gun mage debated releasing the shot, but then her hand lowered and the ball winked out of existence, before she turned to head back towards the door and dissolved the privacy barrier.

"Whatever you're planning, and whoever you're working for, I'll find out," Teana threatened over her shoulder, reaching out to tap the door controls.

Before she could hit them, Quattro spoke. "Since you came all this way and gave me an interesting visit, I'll tell you this much: I believe all of your sisters will be just fine, as long as you don't make too much of a fuss. You might want to take some time off to cool down and think things over." She shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

Teana didn't respond, but tapped the controls, feeling Quattro's smiling gaze on her back as the door closed behind her. As she figured, she didn't get much out of the cyborg, but then again, she didn't figure it was going to be that easy. Still, she did get a few tidbits; Quattro was definitely up to something, and she wasn't working alone. But who? She had betrayed her previous allies, and now Tre and Sette were dead, and the brain of Jail was locked up somewhere; that left too many questions.

Who else could Quattro be working with? And how was she contacting them without Hayate knowing? Or was Hayate involved in this? Could she still be working with Jail? Was it some kind of plot between them that included the Nanoha clone? Possibly to overthrow Hayate? If so, why now?

She didn't know, and some of those questions conflicted, but with the trial of her sisters coming up, she did know one thing: If Quattro was plotting to overthrow Hayate and Teana found that out, it would be easy to have her sisters cleared of all charges.

She started down the hall, vowing to do what it took to find the truth, no matter what it cost.

x~~*~~x

It was late afternoon when they reached the spot, Nanoha's eyes narrowing at the cross sticking upright in the middle of the meadow. As she suspected, she was placed up there, fulfilling the role of bait that the pair of bounty hunters had intended for her, but she was still unsure of exactly what prey they were seeking.

"Would you stop fiddling with that and give me a hand here?" Janja called to her partner as she continued chaining Nanoha to the cross.

Jarm didn't look up from where he sat at the edge of the clearing, continuing to work with something in his hands. "You're doing fine. I'm just a bit busy checking out this intelligent device of hers; it's quite a piece of work. You don't see craftsmanship like this often. I'm trying to see if I can adapt it to our needs, or if we'll just have to sell it. The operating system still has me locked out, however, so I might just have to format it."

Nanoha felt a chill go down her spine; Vivio's data was in there. She remembered Shari telling her once before that numerous safeguards had been placed that wouldn't allow anyone to use the device; it wouldn't do for a Bureau mage to have their own device used against them, after all. But if he simply wiped everything...

"You don't want to do that," Nanoha told him quickly. "The programming is a large part of the value. Without that, it's just a bunch of parts. And the Bureau will want that device intact as well; it's part of the reason they are after me. You don't want to be drafted into the army, right?"

"She's probably got a point," Janja seemed to agree, snapping the last chain into place. "It might be valuable, and this deal is gonna be tricky enough as is. Maybe you should hold off on that until after the trade, to see if we can get away with keeping it."

Jarm finally looked up and shrugged, then stood. "Fine, I won't format it just yet, but I still wanna tinker with it to see if I can get it working; I could still use a device. And hurry up and finish; it's about time that he comes to check up on her." With that, he turned and walked out of the clearing and into the forest, leaving Nanoha hoping he didn't trigger the safeguards that would erase Vivio's location from Raging Heart.

"Don't try anything funny, as we'll be watching you," Janja told her, giving Nanoha a smile as she gagged the bait-type mage, then floated down and left as well.

Despite the fact that Nanoha figured the two were watching her, she tested her binds; if they were magic, she could break them easily with a bit of time, but pure hardened steel was another matter. With the gag in place, she couldn't chant any spells, although if she concentrated hard enough, she might be able to form a Divine Shooter orb. The problem is that they could hit her with something the moment she tried. However, this entire "prey" business bothered her.

Who were they after? Was Erio following her? Garyu, being sent by Lutecia to keep an eye on her? If so, could she count on them saving her? Or should she try to get free on her own, to save them from whatever trap might be planned?

The choice was eventually taken out of her hands as a large shadow drifted over the clearing, blacking out the sun. Before Nanoha could wonder what it was, a powerful wind swept through the clearing to the sound of flapping wings, and then the caster of the shadow landed in front of her.

Nanoha stared at the familiar white muzzle of the large beast that studied her, leaning forward to take a few exploratory sniffs. [Fried! So this is who they were after? Wait, he was checking up on me? Odd that I never noticed...]

She strained and tried to shout to warn the dragon away, but he didn't seem to understand, although it looked like he realized she was trapped and was debating how to help her. However, before he could, dozens of red magical binding tentacles shot out of the ground and wrapped over his body, pulling him down to the ground. The great beast roared and thrashed, but more binds kept popping up, and soon he was completely immobilized.

"Hold him, Janja, while I administer the sedative!" Jarm shouted, appearing in the air riding his gargoyle, aiming to land on the great dragon's back. "I'd rather take him alive; a live white dragon fetches a bit more money on the black market than a dead one."

"I'm trying!" Janja retorted, stepping into the clearing, her hands outstretched, her face dictating her obvious struggle. "But it's taking most of what I got just to hold him. Hurry up!"

Fried roared, his jaws opening and beginning to form a fire attack, but another circular bind promptly clamped it shut while Nanoha struggled against her own shackles. Then she fell limp, panting, trying to think of something, anything; she couldn't let Caro's dragon be taken like this! Horrified, she watched as Jarm produced a large syringe and prepared to stab Fried with it.

Time seemed to pause the needle slowly went down... and then it exploded to the sound of a gunshot, pieces of glass and liquid spreading outward to the surprised stares of all present.

Jarm dove off the dragon's back. "Goille, eyepatch is back; get her!"

Just the gargoyle took off again, a second shot rang out, and Nanoha found her left arm chains shattered as something powerful whizzed past, recognizing it as another bullet in an instant; whoever was firing those was an ace shot.

Reacting quickly, Nanoha reached over and pulled the gag out of her mouth and began to chant. "Holy light, come to my hand. Under my guidance, reverberate through the sky! Divine Shooter, shoot!"

The shot fired straight forward, ripping through several of Fried's binds, and then making a quick U-turn to streak back towards Nanoha. Neither bounty hunter had been idle during this time, with Janja tossing up more binds to hold her target while Jarm shifted his attention to the captive in an attempt to stop her.

"Ancient stone weathered by time, gather and pierce!" came Jarm's voice, getting her attention. "Granite Spike!"

Nanoha grit her teeth as the rock stake flew towards her seemingly in slow motion, but Nanoha's spell was faster. She brought up her free arm to shield her eyes as her orb struck the spike at a 45 degree angle, pelting her body with debris from the enemy projectile, and then shot straight up Nanoha's front, splitting the chains as it brushed her body. She promptly dropped to the ground as Jarm prepared another spell, but she merely held up her hand and met his eyes, the pink ball now floating there between them.

_My spell is faster than yours._

He got the message and took off running; Nanoha let him go, turning to face Janja instead, who had already realized what was going on. She dropped her attempts at maintaining the binds, and instead flew straight at Nanoha, skimming along the ground with both daggers out. Nanoha sent her orb at the other woman, but Janja simply sliced through it and continued on, giving her opponent no time to dodge.

But Nanoha didn't put a shield, either, surprising her adversary by grabbing Janja's wrists and allowing the woman's momentum to carry them both into the air, daggers inches from her neck. The pair struggled in mid-air as they flew, kicking, pushing and pulling, until Nanoha managed to get her left foot between them and pushed it into Janja's stomach, shoving her away. For a moment, the two women floated in mid-air, studying each other.

"I'm stronger than my brother," Janja declared, her lips turning upwards into a hungry grin. "And I have a device, while yours is still absent."

Nanoha realized there was truth in her words; Janja had to be at least A-rank, and her device appeared similar to Cross Mirage's dagger form, though less advanced, as it was split into two dagger handles from which red magical blades protruded. Nanoha guessed the bounty hunter had bought a lower cost storage device, but it still would allow her to process mana faster than Nanoha could.

However, Nanoha still held an advantage. "I've had a lot of students over the years who had similar feelings. I disillusioned them fairly quickly."

"Then bring it!" Janja yelled, streaking for Nanoha again while thrusting her right hand dagger. "Crimson Lightning!"

Nanoha canceled her flight magic and dropped from the air, forming her barrier jacket as the red electric attack barely grazed her. Janja wound up another shot while diving after her prey, but it struck the trees as Nanoha dropped below them, casting Flier Fin again just in time to skim along the forest floor. She wove in between the trees, using them to shield herself from the bounty hunter's attacks.

Passing in front of a thick oak to temporarily drop from Janja's line of sight, Nanoha focused her magic, forming several small orbs that encircled her wrists, then darted out again and trust out her right hand. "Crossfire SHOOT!"

Janja stopped quickly at the first shot, letting it fall short, then had to put up a round shield to block the second from Nanoha's right hand, but it succeeded in arresting her pursuit. The third and fourth shots from Nanoha's left hand shattered the shield and forced Janja out of the forest and back into the sky, reversing the chase. Nanoha took off after her, preparing four Divine Shooter orbs and sent them after Janja, but something else was waiting for her as she cleared the treetops.

A larger form shielded the bounty hunter and three of the orbs exploded against its hardened body, then the gargoyle dove for Nanoha, razor-sharp claws extended. The sky ace mage managed to roll in mid-air to barely avoid the gargoyle's dive, but the odds had definitely turned.

"Two against one, now!" Janja called gleefully.

As Nanoha grit her teeth and tried to keep both targets in view, a new female voice called out. "Make that two against two!" Fried came streaking out of nowhere heading straight for the gargoyle, a fedora and eyepatch wearing figure on his back who tossed something at Nanoha. "Here!"

Nanoha dove and caught it after Fried let loose a large fireball that struck the gargoyle head on, although it emerged singed as the pair entered their own mid-air fight. Nanoha took a look at the red jewel in her hands, and then formed her staff while giving Janja an even gaze.

"Raging Heart," she said simply.

"Buster mode," the device responded as it formed while Nanoha took her stance, magic circle flaring underneath her and pink energy gathering at the tip.

The bounty hunter's eyes widened, then she grit her teeth and slapped her two daggers together, side-by-side, fiery-red magic gathering at the tips. "I'm still stronger than you! Cardinal BURST!"

"Divine," Raging Heart announced cheerfully while Nanoha sighed and shook her head. "Buster."

Before losing consciousness, Janja had the pleasure of knowing her crimson beam held off Nanoha's buster for all of 1.2 seconds.

x~~*~~x

"Any luck?" Yuuno asked as his wife fiddled with his collar, sitting on the bed in the corner of the room.

Shari sighed and put down the two metal, chopstick-like prongs. "None. Mariel made these things well. Without a key, I can't remove it; or at least better tools, which we don't have. I have to be careful not to trigger the explosive."

Yuuno glanced around the small underground room where they had been living the past couple of days; after their escape, Runessa had brought them here to hide. Although he wasn't entirely sure where they were due to all the twists and turns they took getting here, he had surmised it was several levels below Clanagan. It was supposedly where Runessa herself had been hiding in between running missions above, and although her current mission right now was safeguarding his wife and him, she didn't have access to a key to remove the collar and couldn't get better tools. She had told them before she had used up most of her tricks just getting into that detainment area.

"It is probably for the best at the moment," Runessa told them, coming into the living area from a side tunnel and heading for the small kitchenette to put the food down. "I was selected for this mission after they freed me from prison, because I do not have a linker core, and thus cannot be detected due to performing magic. With the collar on, you won't be tempted to do magic and thus will not bring attention to yourself."

Yuuno sighed and leaned back a bit as his wife wrapped her arms around him from behind. "All the same, I would like to get this thing off, just in case. When the time comes, I'd like to do what I can."

"Still cannot speak of it?" Runessa asked as she began preparing the ingredients for their dinner, to which Yuuno shook his head. "That is for the best; the cell system for resistance members is quite effective that way. As I said, my orders were simply to keep you hidden here, in addition to my standard reconnaissance trips."

Yuuno was well-acquainted with the time-honored cell system, where no one person or group had access to all information. Instead, they were told only what they needed to know for a current mission, so if some were captured, damage would be minimal. And as Yuuno well knew, the Bureau _would_ get information out of people one way or another; enhanced interrogation techniques were in full force.

"So how long have you been down here?" Shari asked, changing the subject. "Can you speak of that? Last I heard, you had joined the church, and then were captured by Hayate during the war."

Runessa paused. "Yes. After my... actions regarding the mariage incident, the Saint Church came to me in prison and offered me the chance to repent for my sins. I was so full of anger and pain, but they helped me deal with it. And so I sided with them against the Bureau, but Teana captured me during the war. Someone broke me out of prison later, and I was brought down here to be an secret agent. That was almost 15 years ago."

"And you've been alone all this time?" Shari questioned, her tone softening.

"Mostly," she admitted, shrugging as she dropped numerous chopped up vegetables and meat into a pot. "But this is my penance. I have done horrible things, so this is the least I can do to make up for that. Sometimes I wish I could just go back in time and undo what I've done."

Yuuno glanced at Shari, who bit her lip, which told him she was thinking the same thing as him. But the sudden bout of silence made Runessa turn in their direction.

"What is it?" she inquired, curious, then smiled slightly. "Or have you actually found a way to go back in time?"

"That's a bit impossible, isn't it?" Yuuno joked, placing his hand behind his head and chuckling.

Runessa raised an eyebrow, then full smiled and shrugged. "I suppose it is. I admit it has been a silly wish of mine for some time, though. At any rate, your dinner is cooking; I apologize that it is not much, but I work with what I can find. I have already eaten and must return to my patrols, so I shall see you later."

The couple watched her go, and a few minutes after her departure, Shari finally spoke. "Do you think she knows?"

"I'm not sure, but we have to be careful," Yuuno stated, straining his ears, but only hearing the light bubbling of the stew in the pot sitting on the small stove. "We adopted the cell system for a reason; what we have to accomplish is too important to let anyone know the full details, even if she is the real Runessa."

"So you think she's not, too?" Shari questioned pensively.

"I admit I never really knew her well in the first place, so I can't say for sure," Yuuno admitted. "It would be a bit too roundabout for Hayate, as far as discovering what we know."

"Making us think we were free, in order to get us to spill what we know?" Shari suggested, raising en eyebrow. "You're right, that would be a bit of a stretch for Hayate, when she has more direct methods."

Yuuno stood up to go check on the stew, only meaningless cliche answers coming to him. "We'll just have to keep our eyes open."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

What will Teana do? What is Quattro planning? And who is the mystery woman who rescued Nanoha? Tune in next time for a very special episode of Future Tense, tentatively titled "Family." And I promise it will be well worth it. ^_~ For those interested in Whipped part 2, I am still working on it, but it is a bit slow going as my main focus is Future Tense.

As a reminder, I am drawing from all Nanoha sources for this. All seasons, manga, and sound stages, including Sound Stage X. That's the audio drama that involves Runessa, and I highly suggest you search Youtube for it and listen to it. It's a fairly decent story. =)


	19. Family, Part 1

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 19: Family, Part 1**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha landed in the clearing, an unconscious Janja under her right arm, while glancing across the way to study her mysterious rescuer. She found herself under scrutiny in return by a single green right eye, as the fedora-wearing woman casually walked towards her, dropping an unconscious Jarm on the ground. The rifle slung on the woman's back hinted to Nanoha that this wasn't a mage, and that made her capture of the male bounty hunter all the more impressive. Just who was she?

Friedrich landed nearby, distracting Nanoha momentarily as he leaned down to sniff her, giving her the impression he was smiling. Nanoha laid Janja down as well, laughing lightly as she fondly stroked the snout of the great white dragon.

"Thank you, Fried," she offered sincerely, then turned her head towards the woman. "And thank you, Miss...?"

The eyepatch-wearing woman pulled a toothpick out from between her lips. "We can talk later, but you should make yourself scarce. The level of magic given off has surely attracted the attention of any drones nearby; you won't want to be here when they arrive."

At that bit of news, Nanoha glanced at the unconscious forms of the bounty hunters, realizing what their fate would be when the Bureau got their hands on them. Unconsciously, her left hand gripped her staff tighter; if the Bureau took these two prisoner, they would most likely tell them about Seikou and where she was. Yuuno, Shari, and Carim had spent years, if not decades, devising a plan that Nanoha and Vivio were apart of. But that wasn't the the biggest point in her mind.

_Uno, Yuuno, Shari, Randy, Givo and Neyra, Agito..._

[Can I really afford to take the chance?] the thought came unbidden to her mind. Almost unconsciously, she began to raise her staff, her hands shaking as her own words to Uno came back to her.

_"People died because of me. Because I tried to be the idealistic Nanoha, when I have to be more realistic about where I am and what's at stake. I can't be the Nanoha I was cloned from."_

Nanoha bit her lip. [I can't, though, can I? I've never taken lives before, but people have died because I couldn't do what needed to be done... Is Hayate right? Was Teana right? Do the ends justify the means after all?]

She found herself taking aim at Janja, knowing she had every reason to end the woman's life; after all, they were going to turn her in for their own lives, as well as sell Fried on the black market. And most of all, they had seen her, and thus could tell the Bureau approximately where she was. Yuuno, Shari, Vivio... so many people were counting on her, and it was scaring her death to think that she was even considering this.

"What are you doin'?"

Startled out of her thoughts, Nanoha glanced over at the other woman who had her hands on her hips and was studying Nanoha curiously. "I... they know who I am. I have to..."

The woman shook her head, obviously realizing what was going on. "Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than me, and my brother did a better job convincing me of when it was appropriate to kill. Also, you don't strike me as the killing type. They're beaten, and will be dealt with by the Bureau; or do you want to take the law into your own hands?"

"I know what happens when the Bureau finds mages," Nanoha countered, remembering her brief stay at a detention center and how mages were forced into the army, and forced to fight. But the woman's words were hitting home, and Nanoha's spirits lowered along with her staff as a crystal clear realization hit her.

_I can't do it._

The woman looked up, then quickly crossed the distance to Nanoha, and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the clearing edge. "The drones are almost here. Do me a favor and get your butt out of sight."

Nanoha found herself practically tossed into the treeline, stumbling through bushes until she regained her footing and deactivated her barrier jacket and Raging Heart to reduce her magic signature. Curious, she watch as the woman returned to the clearing and waited near Fried, until a pair of sentinel drones came flying over the treeline from the opposite edge of the small meadow.

They stopped in front of her while scanning the two unconscious bounty hunters and the woman, who had taken something out of her light leather jacket and was now holding it up. "Bounty Hunter #5263. I apprehended these two mages. They were attempting to poach this dragon."

The drones deployed mechanical arms and picked up the two unconscious bounty hunters and then spoke in an artificial electronic voice. "Your account will be credited once verification and processing has been completed. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance, citizen."

Nanoha released a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the drones took off the way they came. After waiting a few moments to make sure they were gone, Nanoha got up and reentered the meadow, but paused as the other woman approached her.

"You should probably make some distance now," the bounty hunter stated as she passed Nanoha, placing the toothpick between her teeth. "You probably don't want to be anywhere near here when those two get their stories out."

Nanoha scanned the sky for a moment, before returning her gaze to the other woman's back. "So you're a bounty hunter, too? Don't you know what the Bureau does to mages?"

"Yes, but they had it comin'," she replied with a shrug, pausing but not turning around "They've been poaching rare animals here for months, and I've been tracking 'em for weeks. I used to hang out with some people that really liked this place, so despite the fact it's been abandoned, I still feel an impulse to protect it."

Nanoha stared at the woman's back, wondering how to phrase, but ultimately just came out and asked the main question on her mind. "You know who I am, don't you? Why didn't you turn me in, too?"

The bounty hunter shrugged again. "Perhaps because you gave me an opening to use on those two. I'm not greedy; I mostly live off the land, so I don't have too much use for the money. Besides, I don't turn in friends, and Fried seems to think you're okay."

"You know Fried?" Nanoha questioned, then paused. "Wait... friend? How am I a friend? You don't know me, do you?"

The woman finally turned around, a half-grin on her face. "Apparently, you're Seikou. But that's an odd name for someone who looks a lot like the Nanoha Takamachi I used to know."

Said mage's mouth dropped open. "Who are you?"

"Laguna," the woman stated, tipping her hat. "Laguna Granscenic."

x~~*~~x

"...and they want to hold Wendi's trial first," Teana was explaining to the two holographic screens, each of which showed a sister in their holding cells. "Preliminary hearings will be in a week, but don't worry, I'll find out what's really going on. Quattro will have left a trail, no matter how hard she tried to obscure her tracks."

"We trust you," Nove said simply. "Get Wendi off, and don't worry about me. At best, my punishment should be minor; a few years in jail at most."

"Nove, stop that!" Wendi protested from her screen, then slammed a fist into her other hand. "It's all that bitch's fault; once Teana links her into this, we'll both get out of this! I think she's trying to split Hayate's support up, so she can position herself as the only person Hayate can count on; then she can pull the strings!"

"I had already considered that," Teana replied a bit tiredly. "But why now? Hayate wouldn't be that easily swayed, and there's no way for Quattro to exert direct influence. My gut tells me something else is going on, especially considering that she isn't working alone; she has someone who can easily move through the system without being detected to help her. And if that's the case, we have a direct threat to homeworld Security, and as Director, it's my job to expose that. Sit back and relax, you two, I'll get you both out of there, and we can all return to being a family again."

They all said their goodbyes and signed off, and Teana sat back in her office chair, exhaling a long breath. Despite her words to her sisters, she still wasn't any closer to figuring out what Quattro was up to, let alone getting evidence of it. After her trip to Quattro's room, Teana had kept surveillance on the #4 cyborg 24/7, but Quattro hadn't done anything out of the ordinary; perhaps not needing to, if she had an accomplice in the shadows.

The face of Teana's female secretary popped up in a new holographic screen. "The request to transfer the prisoners off-world has come in, and requires your authorization."

Teana glanced over at the second screen that popped up and scrolled through the details. "This is the batch Vita's group captured at Rio's hideout, correct? They've finished processing and are now heading off world for training? If the inspections have been completed, initiate the transfer for Captain Batz's ship, and I'll clear them when they are ready to depart."

"As you wish," the other woman replied. "Is there anything else?"

"I don't think so, as I'll be glad to..." Teana started to say while glancing through the prisoner files, pausing on one in particular. "Wait, we're going to delay that for now. I believe Captain Batz's ship is due for an maintenance inspection; I say we do that now."

"Yes, he was scheduled to dock at Naval headquarters after this trip," Teana's assistant confirmed. "You want to move that up?"

Teana nodded. "Yes. Can't be too careful when transporting prisoners. That is all; contact me when it's done."

The woman signed off, and Teana sat back as she read more about the magical skills of the prisoner on her screen, her mind working on how to best use this information. Of course, that would be if she even could. Any action would be risky, and she'd need the subject to be 100% cooperative which would entail some sort of deal, but she was confident she could arrange something. And if she did, she just might get a handle on the leads she needed.

She folded her hands in front of her face, while glancing up at the designation again in thought. [Prisoner #58834 Givo Mellowan...]

x~~*~~x

Nanoha held tightly onto Fried as the dragon skimmed over the trees, while thinking back on her conversation with Laguna.

Apparently, Vice had sent his sister to Suppool when the war began, wanting to keep her out of the fighting, much to the latter's anger. She initially stayed at the reserve, but when it was shut down after the war due to lack of funds, she stayed around to keep an eye on the animals. She had learned a lot from her brother before about aiming and firing a rifle-type weapon, and managed to pick one up from the Bureau on a special bounty hunter license. She contented herself to protecting what remained of the reserve, while keeping the promise to her brother to stay out of the war.

"I'm not a mage, but I can hold my own," Laguna had informed her, with pride in her voice. "I'm getting a bit old for this, but I know this land, and track and trap anyone or anything that comes through here."

In return, Nanoha had shared a bit of what she knew, but she held a lot back; it was obvious Laguna had purposefully been kept out of not only the secret plans, but the war effort in general, and Nanoha didn't want to bring the woman in if she could help it. Nanoha wasn't entirely sure why Laguna was kept out other than the fact that she wasn't a mage, but assumed Vice was probably extremely worried about his sister being injured again. Knowing what she did of the siblings' past, Nanoha could hardly blame Vice for being overprotective. And while they had lost contact during the war, Nanoha wondered what Vice would think if he saw what his sister was doing now.

"He'd probably blow a gasket, heh," Laguna had said in response to that. "I'm glad you told me he's still alive and fighting. I know you said their base was captured, but I believe he would have escaped with his wife and son. But that's all you should tell me. Remember, even though I'm technically a free agent, I still work for the Bureau. You shouldn't tell me anymore."

The women separated then, Laguna explaining that it wouldn't do for Nanoha to hang around her, and instead suggested Nanoha take a ride on Fried. The dragon had seemed willing, and so Nanoha found herself in the skies above what was once the Nature Preserve as it passed from forest into mountains, grateful for a ride that considerably shortened her trip without her risking magic that could be detected. Thankfully, Jarm hadn't really fiddled with Raging Heart much, so the data of Vivio's location was still intact, and with Fried handling the flying, she arrived at her destination the next day.

She said goodbye to Fried and entered the cave while he took off, presumably back to keep an eye on Erio, Lutecia, and Laguna. She focused mana into Raging Heart so that it glowed softly while progressing deeper into the subterrane, but eventually reached a dead end that contained a hole a little over one meter across. For a moment, it made her think of an old fairytale her mom used to read her, and Nanoha wondered if she should take the name of Alice now. She chuckled softly, then took a breath, and decided to find out just how deep this rabbit hole went, both literally and figuratively.

Taking a breath, she jumped into the darkened hole, using a bit of magic to slow her free-fall. It was difficult, as she almost felt like she was in some sort of anti-magic field, but she could overcome that and keep her descent even. She also had to fight off the feelings of claustrophobia, aggravated by her arms occasionally brushing against the sides, and although the light spell via her device brought some comfort, there wasn't much to see, other than the roughly-cut hewn rock wall around her.

[If Vivio is down here, it's a great way to hide,] Nanoha realized. [Only a narrow hole for entry means it's difficult for any army group to assault the place. Of course, that assuming there is another secret way out to escape if need be.]

It seemed like an eternity before she found the end of it, but Raging Heart informed her it had only been five minutes. Still, the vista that awaited her at the bottom was far beyond what she could have imagined. It wasn't so much the small cliff she found herself deposited on, but the view beyond was breathtaking.

For starters, the cavern's ceiling was perfectly hidden by the image of a bright, blue sky with clouds and a sun, making it seem as if she wasn't underground at all. At the bottom of the cliff, a veritable forest of trees spread out, and she could make out a garden maze up ahead, situated in front of a large mansion. It reminded her much of Arisa or Suzuka's estates.

[This is where Vivio has been hiding all this time?] Nanoha wondered, taking in the awesome majesty of the scenery. [It's incredible! I suppose if one has to hide, this is definitely the way to go.]

Still awed, Nanoha leapt off the cliff and descended the short distance to the forest floor, occasional bird calls greeting her ears and catching sight of several small, furry creatures that quickly scampered out of sight. Apparently, this area came with it's own wildlife as well, making it all the more impressive to her, but as the wonder began to wear off, she got the distinct impression she was being watched.

That feeling was confirmed, as she detected movement from above, descending rapidly towards her.

Nanoha barely got a Round Shield up in time to block the punch, but she couldn't get a good view of her assailant due to the artificial sun image almost exactly behind her opponent. Then the attacker leapt off, positioning him or herself in the branches of a tree, now partially shrouded in shadow.

"Who are you?" Nanoha asked, bringing out Raging Heart, wondering for a moment if she was too late, and that the Bureau had already found this place; it could be some highly-trained Enforcer. "Why did you attack me?"

Her mysterious attacker spoke only one word that identified her as female: "Fight."

"Barrier Jacket - Aggressive Mode," Raging Heart chirped as magical light formed her protective armor.

No sooner had that completed, however, then her opponent leapt at her again and Nanoha dodged the kick with by using Axel Fin to fly back and up at a 45 degree angle to gain some distance. But her attacker didn't let up, leaping upwards to stay in melee range, forcing Nanoha to put up another shield, albeit with an extra spell laced into it.

Binding chains lanced out from the shield and wound themselves around the assailant's punching arm, holding tight despite her attempts to free herself. Nanoha backed up again, taking aim and prepared to fire at the now-bound woman.

"Kaiser Arts: Unchained Knuckle!" the woman shouted, shattering the chains and freeing her arm in one motion, while also sending a wave of magic directly at Nanoha before the latter could fire.

The magical shock wave caught Nanoha off-guard and sent her crashing through several trees.

x~~*~~x

"Did you hear that!" the short, orange-haired girl asked excitedly as she ran into the room, arms to the side as if she were pretending to be an airplane.

"Yes, she's probably going overboard in another training session," the woman said from her desk, not raising her head from where it was buried inside a rather large book.

The little girl continued her run, passing through the light curtains and ending up outside on the small balcony, straining her eyes to see the dirt and debris being kicked up in the forest beyond the garden maze. Squinting and shading her eyes with her hand, she leaned a bit over the railing, just barely able to see someone make a dynamic exit from the forest and end up on the grass before the maze.

"Then I think she's training with someone else this time," she declared with more curiosity.

"That's nice, I-" came the female voice from inside. "Wait, what?"

x~~*~~x

Nanoha recovered easily enough, but her opponent was good, very good. Skilled in up close combat, but with some decent mid-range attacks as well. Almost like Fate in a way, possessing both speed and power, which was a deadly combination. Fortunately, Nanoha had fought Fate multiple times, and knew how to handle the amalgamation of abilities.

She used the dust screen to fire a dozen Axel Shooter orbs in the direction she expected the attack to come from, then used a Flash Move to jump out of the cloud moments before the attack actually came in. When her adversary cratered the ground with a powerful punch that dissipated the dust cloud she found Nanoha gone, and instead 12 orbs that immediately homed in on her position. The woman leapt into the air, almost flying as she backflipped to follow Nanoha as she reentered the forest they had come from.

Nanoha kept the pressure up, staggering her magic missiles in succession to keep her opponent off-guard. However, each orb was practically destroyed by kicks and punches except for the last few which were handled much differently than Nanoha could have imagined.

The woman actually caught the last few. "Kaiser Arts: Cyclonic Wave!"

Shifting to Exceed mode for more power, Nanoha was almost caught off-guard again as her own shots came back at her, but she retained just enough control to send them off their mark so they exploded around her instead. This woman was good, she realized through grit teeth as her mysterious assailant came in again with quick and fierce punches and kicks; she guessed her opponent was at least AAA or S rank, and possessed a number of interesting and tricky skills.

"We need to slow her down for just a moment, then hit her with something she can't dodge," Nanoha decided while skimming the forest floor, quickly pointing her weapon down and popping several cartridges. "Divine Buster!"

The beam went straight down and impacted the ground, the backdraft kicking up wind, debris and trees, spreading outward in a growing rose-colored shock wave. It worked, forcing her opponent to shield her eyes while backing off and allowing Nanoha to execute another Flash Move before the effect died down, ending up high in the sky. She knew she only had a few moments before her skilled adversary found her again, so she needed to do this quick.

"Excelion Buster, Barrel Expansion," Nanoha ordered, pointing downward, her staff complying as it underwent shifts. "Midrange Firing Mode!"

"Barrel Shot!" Raging heart announced, firing as the woman burst from the treetops.

The ball of compressed air and magic was nearly invisible, a long-range bind spell that few would be able to detect, let alone dodge. But amazingly, this woman almost did, tilting to the side and so only half her body was frozen, but Nanoha took her chance; it probably wouldn't last more than a couple of seconds.

"Excelion Buster, Force Burst!" Nanoha called, gripping her staff tighter as magic built and Raging Heart popped several more cartridges. "Break SHOOT!"

Several large, pink energy tendrils exploded from the spear tip in a wide array, descending to the individual below, who had broken free from her bind a bit too late.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha panted heavily, readying for a return attack as the dust began to clear, but decided to descend once she saw her opponent lying at the bottom of a crater with a swiss cheese barrier that was more holes than protective magic, however that was rapidly fading. The woman was still conscious and apparently struggling to rise.

Nanoha landed on the edge of the wide, but shallow crater and took aim with her staff pointedly, wondering if she'd have to go to Blaster Mode as the woman paused midway through sitting up, grimacing in pain as she glared at the cloned mage. In a single instant, Nanoha was taken aback by two things, number one being the fact that she didn't see any malice in those eyes at all, but instead a grudging respect. But number two was perhaps the most striking; each one was a different color much like someone else she used to know, except these were blue and purple.

"Are you-" Nanoha started to say.

"Einhart, stop!" came a voice on the other edge of the crater, getting the attention of both combatants.

Nanoha strained her vision to see who it was through the gradually thinning cloud of dust, her eyes slowly widening in shock as the scene cleared to see that the new arrival's facial features slowly mimicking Nanoha's own shocked expression.

Time stopped, and everything else around her faded to black as Nanoha's mouth suddenly went dry.

_Can it be...?_

She was older, obviously, but the face, the single pony tail on the left side, and the green and red eyes... there couldn't be any doubt as to who was standing before her now, and the thought left her trembling_._

_It's... her..._

"Vivio?" Nanoha questioned cautiously, her heart rising in her chest and her arms beginning to shake as her staff lowered; it was like a dream, something not real, to see her daughter after all this time. [It has to be a ghost... or an illusion... right?]

The other woman was equally astounded, but her next words shattered the daydream. "Nanoha... mama?"

The stares last for but a second more, then the two began running towards each other as one, Nanoha feeling tears welling up in her eyes; if it was all a dream, she didn't want to wake up. "Vivio!"

"Mama!" Vivio cried, an instant before they finally met near the center.

And then real, physical arms wrapped around her as each confirmed the other wasn't a ghost, nor a specter born of desire or hallucination, fifty years worth of tears staining each others shoulders.

x~~*~~x

"I have to admit, I'm impressed by the operation you have going here," Vice remarked casually from the observation lounge. Beyond the paned-glass windows, the cargo bay below was a hive of activity, as various humans and machinery loaded and unloaded supplies from the docked ship floating just above them.

"They're very efficient, though I'm surprised you've managed to keep this hidden for so long," Alto added. "The Bureau hasn't noticed at all?"

Lucino allowed a prideful smile to spread across her face. "Nope. We've gotten these things down to a science. Since there's no real way to track ships, Hayate pretty much has to assume we're doing our job and patrolling dimensional space."

"And this hollowed out asteroid conceals our operation nicely," Griffith added, his own pleasure equally present. "Although we only have three or four ships on our side, we can shift resistance supplies around from here easily, passing them to and from Mid-Childa, Earth, Orussia, and various other worlds. But a large part of the credit goes to the boss."

Vice turned around to grin at the boss Griffith was referring to. "And I must say, seeing you alive was quite a shock, especially considering you're with the resistance now. Does your family know?"

Chrono half-smiled. "The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, albeit on purpose. After years of serving Hayate and the Bureau, faking my death was the only way to remove me from public sight. And yes, Amy and the kids know. But what's more important, is that we received the signal not too long ago."

"You mentioned that before," Vice noted, leaning against the railing and crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you mean by that?"

Chrono nodded at Lucino, who continued for him. "A coded signal broadcast on a certain frequency. Only Chrono has the means to decode among our section, and he's keeping it mostly secret. In fact, Griffith and I are the only ones who know about it right now, and all we know is that it contains attack instructions. Sometime soon, we're going to have a window of opportunity to defeat the Bureau, but that's all we can say right now."

Vice understood; even among Rio's resistance network, most people were only told what they needed to know due to the cell system.

"I assume that's what all these supplies are for that your workers are loading onto the ship, but what about those?" Alto questioned, noticing a half-dozen rectangular crates laying next to each other, slightly less than 2 meters in length. "They are being sent through that teleporter instead. And they almost look like..."

Griffith and Lucino crossed the small room to glance out with Vice, while Chrono remained where he was, his eyes closing.

"Look like what?" Chrono prodded, almost as if waiting to hear the answer he expected.

"Like coffins," Vice finished solemnly for his wife. "Casualties of war being sent home?"

Chrono didn't bother to open his eyes. "Something like that."

x~~*~~x

Wetness stained Nanoha's cheeks from tears that seemingly would never end, as she was nearly crushed by the girl, now grown woman, in her arms. But she didn't care, as at that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the war, not anyway. All that mattered was that Vivio as right here, and for now, that was the only important thing in all of dimension space to her.

"You are real, aren't you?" Nanoha asked suddenly, pulling back slightly to gaze into her daughter's eyes.

Vivio nodded slowly, twin trails of tears leaking from her own heterochromatic eyes. "I heard from Yuuno already, so I know you're a clone, but you're still my mama."

Upon hearing that, reality descended, and Nanoha's eyes lowered. "I'm sorry, I know I'm not the real Nanoha; I'm not your real mother..."

"No!" Vivio insisted, reaching out to bring Nanoha's face back up. "You may not be the original Nanoha, but you're her, just as much. I wasn't blood-related to her, either, and I'm a clone. That doesn't make me any less real."

The words took Nanoha aback, somehow more powerful because it was _her_ was saying them, and she half-smiled, reaching out with her left hand to cup her daughter's cheek. "Thank you, Vivio."

"Vivio, no fair, you run faster than me!" a young voice called out, getting Nanoha's attention and distracting her from the moment as the rest of reality faded back around her.

As she looked up, a young girl in a pink summer dress and orange hair in twin pigtails came running down the shallow crater and stopped to next them, resting her hands on her knees and she bent over and panted to catch her breath. Nanoha blinked, looking at the girl, then looking back up at Vivio, unable to tell if her daughter's flushed face was the result of the tears and emotion, or at a little embarrassment at what the young girl had said.

The girl finally looked up, and completely and innocently inquired, "Vivio-mama, Einhart-mama, who is this?"

Nanoha's eyes widened, glancing from the girl, to Vivio, and then over to the other woman who had been her opponent not long before who was apparently the Einhart being referred to. The woman who had been her earlier opponent was now standing stoically nearby as if on guard duty, her dirtied barrier jacket torn and shredded in various places, but otherwise appearing unharmed.

Vivio smiled, reaching out to take the young girl's hand and pull her between them, and then shifted her own hands onto the little lady's shoulders. "May I introduce Ixpellia. It's a long story, but we ended up adopting her, like you and Fate did with me. Ixy, this is Nanoha; my mother."

"Your mother?" Ixpellia inquired, then smiled and giggled. "Would that make her my grandma, then?" She extended her hand. "I'm Ixpellia but you can call me Ix!"

Still reeling a bit from the surprise, Nanoha crouched down and shook the small hand. "Pleased to meet you... Ix."

"And your opponent has been Einhart Stratos," Vivio announced, gesturing to the side. "She can be a bit gruff and blunt, but she has a kind heart underneath."

"Pleased to meet you," Einhart offered, bowing slightly, but with the barest hint of a smile on her face.

"If she's with you, then why did she attack me?" Nanoha inquired delicately, still a bit confused, her raging emotions about the whole situation not helping in the least.

"That's what I want to know," Vivio said, turning and planting her hands on her hips. "You were monitoring the detection grid, so you would have known she came down the hole. And you saw Yuuno's message; you should have known who she was."

"It still could have been a Bureau trick, so I had to test her in combat," Einhart replied simply, then her lips finally curled upwards into a more modest smile. "Plus, having heard all the stories from the others about how strong she was, I wanted to test my own skills and see for myself. I was not disappointed."

"How does fighting tell you whether she was an enemy?" Ixy questioned.

Einhart crouched down and took Ixpellia's hands with a grin, demonstrating to Nanoha that this Einhart was being as much a mother to the girl as Vivio was. "Remember what I taught you about killing intent when you're in a fight? I didn't feel any from her the entire time. Also, she held back, and her spells did no permanent harm. Not something an enemy would do if suddenly attacked." She lifted her head to give Nanoha an amused look. "Of course, I was holding back, too, so perhaps we can have a full out match sometime later."

Nanoha blinked, then found herself smiling as well, almost eager to test this woman her daughter had apparently been living with. "I'd be glad to."

A beep sounded from Einhart's wrist, and the woman stood while glancing at it. "That was the teleporter. We just received another shipment."

Nanoha noticed the formerly jovial air seemed to get heavier for some reason, the smiles disappearing to be replaced by solemn looks, although she didn't know why. "What's wrong?"

"It's okay, I'm ready," Ixpellia stated, all traces of her child-like demeanor suddenly vanishing, giving the appearance of a much more mature individual underneath.

Vivio nodded at her, then turned to address Einhart. "Would you take her?"

"Yes, of course, I'll handle it," Einhart replied, agreeing as her barrier jacket dissolved to be replaced by normal clothes. "Let's go, Ix."

The girl nodded as Einhart picked her up and then took the air, flying back toward the mansion. Nanoha watched them go, dissolving her own barrier jacket back to her traveling clothes, then glanced quizzically at Vivio, wondering how to ask what was going on or if it was even appropriate to.

"Let's walk back, and I'll explain some things on the way," Vivio told her, sensing her confusion. "There's a lot to tell you, but I admit I'm having a tough time figuring out exactly how to say it all. Other than I'm really glad to see you again, even if it's under these circumstances."

Nanoha took her daughter's hand, squeezed it, and smiled. "I'm happy to see you, too."

Vivio suddenly got a playful look on her face. "Perhaps this might be better?"

As Nanoha watched in astonishment, Vivio shrunk as her hair switched to short twin pony tails, becoming the young girl about 6 or 7 years old that Nanoha once knew. "Vivio...!"

"How's this, Nanoha-mama?" the now-very-young girl declared in her younger voice, striking a pose by spreading her arms wide. "Child-form can have its uses, too!"

Nanoha shook her head to bring herself out of her stupor, then wiped her eyes on her sleeves and getting a mischievous smile on her face "Well, if you're going to do that..." Vivio yelped in joy as Nanoha picked the little girl up and began walking towards the house. "Now, tell me everything; I want to know what you've been up to all this time! Why were you in hiding all this time?"

Vivio smiled and hugged her mama's neck with her short arms. "It was Carim's wish that I take Ixpellia and hide at the end of the war, because the prophecy revealed how Hayate would be defeated and the Bureau returned to normal. We needed to keep Ix out of Hayate's hands and I had to fake my death and disappear, because as long as I was around, there wouldn't have been any peace between the church and the Bureau. Einhart found me not long after, and the three of us have been living here for the past twenty years like a family."

"Just the three of you?" Nanoha questioned. "So Ixpellia hasn't had any friends her own age?" She paused as a thought struck her. "Wait, the war ended 20 years ago, but she doesn't appear to be any older than 10 or 11!"

Vivio nodded as the two entered the garden maze, and despite the urge to fly over it, Nanoha let her daughter lead. "Biologically, she's 10, but chronologically, she's hundreds of years old. She was born back in the ancient Belka days and her body modified, like a lot of people were back in those days. Because of that, she enters periods of long sleeps where she doesn't age, basically going into stasis She woke up once a couple of years after you died in an incident I'll tell you more about later which is where we first discovered her, but went back to sleep shortly thereafter. I only had a brief video call with her at that time.

She paused for a moment, as if recalling a sad memory, before continuing. "Then, almost two years ago, she woke up again. She was so sad about people she knew and loved being gone, that Einhart and I said we'd be her family and let her live a normal childhood. The mother and daughter thing started out as a bit of a joke, but I think she really enjoys the feeling of having loving parents; it's not something she ever experienced before."

Nanoha could see the far-off look in her daughter's eyes, even as she pointed to give directions through the maze. "It must be lonely here, with just the three of you, though."

"It is, a little, but we also talk occasionally with Lutecia via insect-delivered letters," Vivio admitted as the pair took a left. "And we knew that one day we'd be able to come back out; I just didn't expect it to take so long. With you here, we can finally fulfill Carim's prophecy and be a real family again."

"Yuuno tried to tell me about a prophecy, but he was interrupted before he could finish it," Nanoha stated as they exited the garden and started across the patio to the front steps of the mansion. "Did you know what he was up to?"

Vivio nodded as they entered the open front door. "I think only Carim and I knew the full extent of everything. I don't know if the time travel aspect will work, but I do know we have to stop Hayate. As for the prophecy, it goes like this: _The long night ends and a new day dawns when one who has __returned from the grave leads the army of the dead to cleanse the ancient land of greed and wickedness._"

Nanoha pondered that while Vivio led her down a side hallway, pausing at the top of a set of stairs that disappeared into a darkened basement below. "So, if I'm supposed to be the one returned from the grave, what is the army of the dead?"

Vivio reluctantly pulled herself from her mama's arms and dropped to the floor, returning to her normal size while starting down the stairs. "Come. I think it will be easier if you see for yourself."

Curious, Nanoha followed as they reached the bottom of the stairs and then took a right along another hallway dimly lit by florescent lights. Eventually, Vivio paused in front of several windows along the left side of the hallway and indicated with a nod of her head for her mama to take a look. Nanoha was more puzzled by the somewhat saddened expression on her daughter's face, but turned nonetheless to see what this was all about.

At first, she didn't know what to make of it; there was Ixpellia, hooked up to some machine that took up almost half the large room. Einhart was off to the side, fiddling with holographic controls, and then turned and wheeled a cart over in front of Ix that contained something covered by a large, white sheet. Einhart backed away as Ix nodded, then the smaller girl appeared to strain herself as the machine lit up behind her. Nanoha's hand went to her mouth as the young girl's face nearly contorted in extreme distress.

And then it was over almost as soon as it began when a white and green glowing orb emerged from Ixpellia's chest, floating there in front of her. It reminded Nanoha of a linker core, but several times larger. Before she could wonder about it, Einhart had careful grabbed it with gloved hands and pushed it down into an opening in the sheet on the cart. Whatever was underneath began to shift, and then Nanoha inhaled sharply as it sat up.

"Is that... a human?" she questioned, feeling her blood running a bit cold as she watched the skin began to morph.

"Yes and no," Vivio replied softly as the new form began to stabilize, appearing much like a female. "It was human, but is now merely a corpse. As I said, Ixpellia's body was modified back in Ancient Belkan days, and now her linker core produces control cores for a type of soldier called a Mariage. Essentially, they reanimated the dead using advanced nanomachine biotechnology, and used those soldiers to fight wars."

Nanoha couldn't imagine how such a thing might affect the mind of a young girl, but Ixpellia seemed well-adjusted earlier. "She looked like she was in pain..."

"There is some discomfort, yes," Vivio admitted softly, as the new Mariage finished it's transformation and stood up, now appearing much like a hi-tech female combat soldier. "But she was the one who volunteered to do this. I'll admit, because of the prophecy we considered it a likely outcome, but we didn't pressure her at all; it had to be her decision. Come, there is one more thing to show you."

Nanoha took one last look to see the Mariage walk off and enter a side door, and then Einhart pulled Ixpellia from the machine, hugging the girl tightly. The image of the the teary girl hugging her adoptive mama, smiles on both their faces, played over and over in Nanoha's mind as she followed Vivio, her own body working mostly on auto-pilot. She knew, now, what the prophecy meant by "army of the dead," but that brought up another question.

"How many of those have you made?" she inquired, almost fearing the answer as Vivio stopped in front of a double-door at the end of the hall.

Her daughter didn't answer right away, but tapped in a code on a console, opening the large pair of doors. The pair then stepped in and onto a small observation deck as floodlights illuminated the huge storehouse that almost seemed to stretch out forever. Nanoha gasped at the dozens, if not hundreds of human-sized forms standing in rows, finally understanding just how busy her daughter and granddaughter had been.

Vivio checked a nearby screen. "We've just produced our 358th Mariage."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I know quite a few people have been waiting for this moment; hope it lived up to expectations! Although, you may or may not have seen that ending coming as a possibility. We'll see a few more explanations next chapter, in "Family, Part 2." A number of people will note that Fate should be included in a chapter named like this, and they would be right; she is coming.^^

And I figured a lot of people might guess Cinque was the eyepatch woman, but I do love breaking expectations.^^ (Still, one person did kinda guess, though... ;p)


	20. Family, Part 2

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 20: Family, Part 2**

Xx~~*~~xX

At first glance, it was a perfectly normal scene one might find during a nice summer day; a young woman, sitting alone on a lounge chair on the patio, eyes closed as if napping. And the young girl observing the grown woman had indeed believed that was indeed the case, and so sat down to study the person who had been introduced as Vivio's mother.

She didn't look old enough to be a grandmother, and indeed, Vivio was much older biologically. But Ixpellia had understood the exact circumstances behind this new person's arrival, and due to her own issues, she knew not to take age in the exact sense. Also, she had heard stories and seen videos of the mage this woman was cloned from, and thus had a fairly good idea of what she was like; much like the Vivio she had come to know the past couple of years, it turned out.

Distracted by her own thoughts, Ix didn't notice Nanoha crack an eye open until the woman spoke in a pleasant tone. "Hello there."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I interrupted your nap!" Ix spouted suddenly, waving her hands.

Nanoha chuckled, but shook her head. "You didn't. I was actually engaged in virtual combat training, courtesy of my device here, Raging Heart."

Ix studied the small jewel hanging from the cord around Nanoha's neck, now cupped in the owner's hand for display. "Virtual reality training? Vivio and Einhart do that all the time, and I join them sometimes, but I'm not very good. What are you training for?"

"Apparently some extra combat functions were added, and I wanted to use this month to get familiar with them, as well as maintain my edge," Nanoha replied, then smiled. "You train with Vivio?"

She blushed a little in embarrassment, and perhaps a little sadness. "I'm not that good. Because of the way my body is modified, I can't use any magic. All the mana my linker cores takes in is dedicated to Mariage core production. So I have some knowledge of Strike Arts, but nowhere near their strength."

The tone and emotion behind the words made Nanoha pause, and reach across to lay a hand on top of the younger girl's. Vivio had explained everything behind the Mariage incident which took place a couple years after Nanoha had passed away; about how a man named Toredia and a woman named Runessa had found a sleeping Ixpellia and used her to manufacture Mariages with which to attack and kill people, in order to spread the pain they felt over their homeland of Orussia being embroiled in civil war. Ironically, that also ended up being part of the reason Hayate changed the course of the Bureau to be more aggressive.

"I heard all about it," Nanoha offered sympathetically. "About how you were used, both back in Belkan days and in more recent history. Are you really okay with what you are doing? Producing these soldiers for war? You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

The young girl was silent for a moment, glancing down into her lap. "They said the same thing. I don't really like war, nor the killing and death I cause whenever I wake up, and when I woke up two years ago, it was the last thing I would have wanted to do..."

x~~*~~x

"Who are you?" were the first words out of her mouth upon coming out of her stasis-like sleep and taking notice of the older woman sitting near by.

"You don't recognize me, Ix?" the older woman replied, then smiled sadly while looking at her hands. "Wait, I suppose you might not; I am much older now."

Ixpellia took a closer look, but still in the dark as to the identity until she noticed the eyes: one green, and one red. "I think... I talked with you once before... Vivio? How long was I asleep?"

"About 45 years or so," Vivio replied, helping the younger girl sit up. "Do you want some food or something?"

Her head dropped a little bit in embarrassment as her stomach rumbled. "I think so. 45 years? At least I should be grateful I can see you and my friends again." Her head came back up, some eagerness in her voice. "Is Subaru around?"

Now it was Vivio's turn to lower her head slightly, but reached out to place a hand on the girl's. "There will be a lot to take in, but I won't hold anything back. I'm sorry, but she died many years ago."

In what was to be the first of many such instances, an almost overwhelming burden of sadness welled up within her, crushing out the rising hope. "I see..."

Feeling a little numb, she let Vivio help her out of bed and get her dressed, before taking her downstairs for a meal. She ate quietly, Vivio nearby but not making her presence overbearing, just enough to let Ix know she was there if needed. The young girl was grateful for that, even if she didn't fully feel it at the time, as her questions about the state of the world and her friends piled more and more sorrow upon her. The only bright spot was a promise that she was safe and she wouldn't have to endure producing any Mariage, which she had to admit she was fearful of doing given the way the world supposedly was.

Eventually, she put her fork down on her nearly empty plate, her head lowered. "I see. There was more war, and more death. And still no peace like Subaru promised. No matter how long I sleep, nothing ever changes. People still kill each other and friends still die."

"There will always be those that kill, but that is why we fight," came a new voice, which brought Ixpellia's head up in curiosity.

Vivio introduced the new woman, who sat down on the other side of the table while giving the young girl a smile and a nod. "Oh, this is Einhart Stratos. She lives here with me, and has been helping me take care of you while you were asleep."

Ix stared at Einhart, absently noting that her eyes were different colors like Vivio's. "Why do we have to fight at all? If we do, it just brings more war and death!"

"War and death will come anyway," Einhart argued back in a calm voice. "If we stood by and did nothing, more of our friends would die; but by fighting we can protect them."

"No..." Ix whispered, pushing her chair back as tears appeared in her eyes as the horrible memories of war and death passed unbidden through her mind; war only led to more death. "NO!"

"Ix!" Vivio called as the little girl took off running out of the dining room.

x~~*~~x

"I didn't understand, then, the real reasons behind her words," Ix continued, glancing off into the horizon while Nanoha listened patiently behind her. "All I knew was that people had died again, some of which I knew and cared about. Throughout my waking memories, it has been the same story; I wake up to find war, death, and people I knew long gone. Even back when I was first born and later taken from my family to be used as a weapon of war."

"I can't imagine what it must have been liked, but in a way, I'm like you," Nanoha told her softly, which made the young girl turn her head to stare. "I'm a clone that was created for a specific purpose, and lately it seems people die because of me. I find it hard to go on sometimes, but I do because I want to protect those precious to me. I have to try, at least."

"Despite the pain it can cause, you go on because it would cause more pain if you didn't," Ixpellia concluded softly, her eyes lowering.

Nanoha nodded. "It sounds like you've had the same thoughts and feelings."

Ix returned to gazing out into the horizon. "It took me awhile to understand..."

x~~*~~x

For a couple months afterward, Ixpellia tried to go about her days normally. Vivio and Einhart were quick to reassure her she would never be used as a weapon again, and that the reason for their being here was to keep her hidden and allow her to live a life where no one could take advantage of her ever again. And to a degree, that did help; knowing that she wouldn't have to produce Mariage cores did help relieve some of the burden she normally felt upon waking.

But that still didn't remove the sense of loneliness, nor the fear that she might still be used as a weapon. What happened when she fell asleep again, and woke up? Vivio and Einhart would be long gone by then, and there would always be wars. What guarantee would she have that she wouldn't be used again? What if Vivio and Einhart couldn't protect her, and someone took her away to use as they saw fit?

[I should be happy that I can just live, so why don't I feel that way?] she wondered to herself. [There's been no pressure, and those two have gone out of their way to make me comfortable. So why...?]

"You look like someone with a lot on their mind," came Einhart's voice as the older woman sat down next to her on the edge of the patio to gaze out at the sunset with the little girl. "Are you sure you would not like to learn some Strike Arts?"

Ix shook her head. "I'm sorry, but it makes me uncomfortable. I don't like fighting."

"I cannot say I fully understand, but I will respect your decision," the older woman offered simply.

There was a moment of silence that made Ix keenly aware of the unsettling feeling she always got around Einhart; she realized she had been running from it for awhile, but knew she had to confront it. "Why do you choose to fight? I heard from Vivio how you two fought in the war, but you also seem to really like fighting."

"I want to know how strong I am," Einhart replied simply. "To be the best that I can be."

"But why fighting?" Ix persisted, turning to look up at the woman, noting the stoic resolve that was ever-present. "Isn't there something else more peaceful you could do?"

"To protect those I care about," Einhart answered with just as much ease, then looked down to give the girl a sad smile. "I also understand how your life has gone, and how you were involved in war and used a producer of weapons every time you awakened; that could not have been pleasant. I carry some of the will and memories of one of my ancestors, Claus Ingvalt, a rarity in my family which made me somewhat special. Because of that, I also carry some of his regret; he wasn't strong enough and thus someone he cared for very much died. I understood how he felt, and didn't want to feel that way myself. There will always be those that threaten war, but with strength, you can at least protect those you care about."

Ix's gaze lowered. "I suppose I can understand that, but I'm weak. I can't use any magic to strengthen my body like you and Vivio can."

"Strength is not only physical power, but also will and heart," Einhart explained, placing a hand over her chest for emphasis. "To not give up, even when things look bad, but fight in your own way. If you can do that, you can secure the peace that we all desire. In essence, we fight so that we don't have to fight."

"I think I can understand that, but I am not as strong as you two," The little girl admitted, glancing down into the grass and absently swinging her legs a little. "Even if I wanted to, there is nothing I can do."

Einhart's lips turned upward in a wry smile. "You know, when I first came to understand the foreign feelings and memories I possessed, I went out on my own to challenge others, seeking the current Sainkt Kaiser and the Dark Queen Ixpellia. I didn't know too much about you then, only your reputation through Claus's memories, that you were a powerful queen with power over life and death. Even Claus figured it was mostly rumors, but merely the spreading of rumors for the effect of fear did serve to make some Belkan countries not want to go to war with your home planet of Galea. The very strength of your reputation kept some measure of peace, but that was also why I wanted to seek you out. I wanted to defeat the strongest opponents who might threaten peace."

Ix hugged her body and shivered involuntarily. "I know all about my reputation. A couple of the nobles that looked over me took delight in telling me how everyone was afraid of me, that the mention of my name brought fear. I didn't want that. I wanted people to like me, not be afraid of me."

Einhart placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder, getting her attention and giving her a confident smile. "But that is your strength. Not even Claus nor the Sankt Kaiser could generate that level of terror in the hearts of their enemies. In the past, your power was used by others, but that is why I train so that my power will only be used by me in the manner I choose."

"Like Vivio?" Ix inquired while looking up at the other woman, unexpectedly curious; there was something inside her, a disquiet she had been aware of for some time, and now she suddenly felt close to figuring out why. "I haven't heard about your family."

"Vivio is my main family now, but I consider you a part of it as well," Einhart stated with a comforting smile, glancing off into the sunset again. "My mother died when I was young, and my earliest memories of my father are of him teaching me Kaiser Arts, but he passed away when I was young and so I struck out on my own. As the last practitioner of Kaiser Arts, I wanted to prove their worth, and so I needed to test myself against the best opponents. But then I ran into Vivio and her friends, and they taught me that real strength comes from protecting those you care about. They are my family now."

Ix's face dropped again as she narrowed in on her feelings of discontent. "I hardly remember my family. It seems so long ago... I only have vague feelings of my mother holding me, and I never knew my father, or if I had any brothers or sisters. Subaru was the first time I felt like I might have someone special to care about, but she's gone now, too. Everyone I know will die, while I live on."

Once again, Ix found Einhart's firm, yet gentle hand on her shoulder. "Then we shall be your family. And when we leave here, I will introduce you to more friends and family than you could ever count. If that is what you would like."

The young girl remembered having a discussion with Subaru before she went to sleep, where she had realized that she could change herself, and that's what she had set her heart to do before going into stasis. The realization was that one had to change oneself first, before one could change their circumstances; but there was still something in the back of her mind holding her back.

Ix bit her lip. "I'll... think about it."

Einhart gave one of her rare full smiles, and gently slapped Ix on the back before standing up. "Good. Think about that for awhile. I have to go find Vivio for our daily sparring match. If it weren't for me, the woman would let her skills rust."

Ix waved goodbye as the older woman left, leaving the little girl alone with much to ponder.

x~~*~~x

"She's right," Nanoha agreed. "I don't know her as well as you do, having just met her yesterday, but I know where she is coming from. That's why I, or rather the Nanoha I was cloned from, decided to join the Bureau; in order to protect people from sadness."

Ix nodded. "I know. I learned a lot from Einhart-mama and Vivio-mama; and I'm grateful to them."

Something that had been rolling around in Nanoha's mind finally compelled her to ask, "I notice that sometimes you refer to Vivio and Einhart as mama, and sometimes you don't. Didn't they adopt you? Or do you not really see them as mothers?"

"It's actually a bit of an embarrassing story," Ix explained, her cheeks reddening a bit. "While Einhart's words about fighting to protect people had gotten me thinking, I didn't quite realize why I was still disturbed about the idea until a month later..."

x~~*~~x

"Oh, you were in here," Ix noted as she walked between the library bookshelves and noticed Vivio on a ladder, getting some books from the top shelf. "I didn't realize... I can leave and come back later."

Vivio turned and smiled. "Oh, you know you don't have to be that way. I have enough 'me time' as I want around here. I wouldn't mind some company. I was just confirming a few things so I can send a response back."

"Response?" Ix asked, curious.

Vivio nodded, walking out between the shelves and setting the books down on a table, while pulling a piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to Ix. "Every now and then we get a letter delivered from Lutecia. She lives far away, but is able to relay messages to us from Yuuno and Carim. I think I told you about them, but there is a picture of Lutecia in there."

Ix unfolded the note, not quite understanding the complex questions scrawled on them, but did see the picture. In it, one woman with faded purple hair sat in a chair, while another woman who greatly resembled the first stood behind her. Both were happily smiling at the camera, as if content with their lives.

"Which one is Lutecia?" Ix inquired.

"Oh, the one behind the chair," Vivio answered, sitting down and flipping through books, indicating for Ix to sit in the chair beside her. "The one in the chair is her mother, Megane, although she passed away a few years ago, so Lutecia lives there alone now."

Ix felt a sympathetic pang in her heart. "She's alone?"

"Well, she has her insect friends and she watches over Erio, so she's not totally alone," Vivio corrected, then smiled. "I'll take you to see them sometime; they'd love to meet you." She sat back, glancing upward as if seeing something far away. "Megane was a nice woman, I'm sure you would have liked her, too. Lutecia is much like her."

For some reason, Vivio's words made Ix's hands shake as she studied the picture embedded in the letter. [Why?]

"Ix, are you okay?" Vivio asked, apparently noticing her visible distress.

"I never knew my mother," Ix stated quietly, still unable to raise her head. "I was taken from her when I was young and made into a weapon. Lutecia is lucky."

Vivio bit her lip, then reached out to place a hand on the young girl's shoulder, and said something that finally made Ix's head come up. "We're not all that different from you. Lutecia was taken from her mother and used as a weapon. While I'm a clone, I was taken from the mamas that had adopted me and used as a weapon. It's painful, not only being separated from those you love, but being used to hurt them and their friends."

Ix could see in Vivio's eyes that she spoke the truth; all these hundreds of years, and she saw a glimpse of kindred spirits.

Her head lowered again, hands still trembling. "But I never saw my mother again, and I never even knew my father. Every time I awoke I was used produce Mariage cores and kept under tight guard so I couldn't venture very far. The only time I saw the outside world was from windows in the castle, the land barren outside due to war. People kept sneaking into the castle to kill me, but instead were killed right in front of me." She shuddered, the memories resurfacing of blood on the walls, the metallic scent almost overpowering. "Did you experience any of that?"

"No, I suppose not," Vivio admitted, switching her hand to Ix's back to rub lightly. "You never had a real childhood, did you? Always doing what other people wanted, and never what you wanted. I can only imagine part of what you must feel, since I was created from birth to be a weapon, to power the Cradle. It's not fair, is it?"

Unresisting, Ix let herself be pulled into Vivio's arms, her head against the woman's chest, wondering for a moment when her eyes began to feel a bit wet. "It's just the way things are. I accepted it long ago. I did what my country required of me, no matter much I hated it and no matter how tired I became, because that is what life was supposed to be."

"You had no choice," Vivio soothed, slowly stroking the girl's short hair. "And you never cried over it, did you?"

"Crying won't change anything," Ix countered, trying to force back the tears like she had done so many times before. She had cried a few times when very young, but she quickly realized there was no point to it.

But then Vivio did something strange; she began to sing.

_Let us offer up to the light that resides in our hearts,_

_an old tale of a country awaiting its awakening..._

_Our wishes become stars, which can see tomorrow..._

_My love, please wait for me..._

Except Ix found she couldn't stop them this time. All the pent-up tears from hundreds of years of being used, from never having a family, from being confronted by war, bloodshed, and loss of friends, would finally be denied no more.

And Vivio continued to sing.

_The profile of my destined one is standing in my mind's eye..._

_Let us ignite the light which protects our dreams..._

_The stars inform me to choose only one..._

_If the person I love calls me, I will change..._

The floodgates were opened, and Ix found herself crying into Vivio's chest. From one perspective, it was all so stupid; why now? Why was she doing this? Why was she here? She didn't want to feel this way; she had accepted her fate already. But why did she feel so comforted at the same time? _Let us shoulder the light of the priestess's life_ _upon our gracefully dancing wings of purity..._ _Go to sleep in the arms of the one you love,_ _who in order for you to become a star, should not have been born._ And that was it; as the song ended, she was confronted with the darkest fear in her heart: She never wanted to have been born in the first place. Before she met Subaru all those years ago, she had wanted to die, not so much for the pain and bloodshed her existence brought, but simply because she was tired of living altogether. Even though the powerful cyborg with a big heart had convinced her not to, and let her fall asleep with hope, that dark fear still remained. And then when she had awoken once more and learned of Subaru's death and the wars that continued to plague the land, the hope in her heart had begun to give way to darkness once more. And that was the reason she was scared of becoming close to people again, she realized at last. Why, despite the protected life they were giving her, the young girl part of Ixpellia, was afraid it would be snatched away again. Afraid that even if she lived a normal life, it would all be gone again when she woke up from her next sleep. Afraid to get close to people she'd just lose, regardless of whether she fought and killed to protect them.

Gradually, she became aware of her position, which while comfortable in one respect, was becoming a bit uncomfortable in another and thus she pulled back. "I-I'm sorry. Your shirt is all wet and I shouldn't have done that. I don't know why I-"

"Shh, it's okay," Vivio soothed, still stroking the girl's hair, shifting Ix to the dry side of her shirt. "It's alright. My own mothers did this for me many times. No one can resist it; it's a secret technique passed down from mother to daughter designed to force you to release your burdens."

Ix gave up trying to resist. "Is the song part of it, too? I've never heard it before..."

"I found that one in a book in the Infinity Library long ago," Vivio recalled. "I'm not sure where it comes from, just that it was supposedly an important song to some far off planet. I've always liked the melody and the lyrics, though."

"It's very pretty," Ix agreed, now realizing why she felt so comfortable; the way she was being held brought back the vague feelings from before. "Mother..."

Vivio raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I know Einhart offered that we'd be your family, but does that mean you want me to be your mother?"

Ix quickly pulled back and waved her hands, embarrassed. "No no! I meant, for a moment there, I could almost feel the memory of being held by my mother." She paused, staring in wonder. "I almost thought I had lost that feeling..."

"It's nice, isn't it?" Vivio agreed, grinning. "I was twice blessed with Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama. Regardless of what else we've been through, I knew they loved me and were there for me as I was growing up. That's what they are there for, because we can't carry everything alone, and I get the feeling you've been carrying everything by yourself all this time."

It was the truth, so Ix didn't need to confirm it. She couldn't carry it anymore, and that's why she had wanted to die; but Vivio was offering to help carry it with her, just like Subaru had done previously. Yet, it still scared her, because she didn't want to lose someone like Subaru again. She discovered it was hard to really open oneself up and let another in, when ones entire life had spent considerable time convincing one that it wasn't possible.

Ix looked up into Vivio's kind, gentle eyes, accompanied by a warm smile and an outstretched hand. Biting her lip, Ix reached out and took that hand, and allowed herself to be pulled into another hug once more.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha couldn't help it, wiping a tear from her eye as the girl spoke honestly and earnestly about that moment, the wonder on her face as fresh as when she had worn it that day. "So you did decide to accept Vivio as a mother, then?"

Her face appeared a bit mischievous. "Not right then; I just accepted them as family. They would tease me by treating me as their child from time to time, telling me to get ready for bed or threatening me with punishment because it did get a reaction out of me. I knew what they were doing, though: treating me like a child to force me to experience the childhood I never had. Eventually I did end up calling them 'Vivio-mama' and 'Einhart-mama' once as a joke to get back at them, and I suppose it stuck because I found myself liking it.

The young girl glanced down at the hands in her lap, looking more fragile for a moment. "And sometimes, when the nightmares come back, they sleep with me, and that somehow makes it all better. So, for now, I guess I'm content to be that, even if we aren't actually related."

"It doesn't matter if you're related by blood or not," Nanoha agreed softly, realizing how important her words were to not just Ixpellia, but herself as well. "Regardless of where you come from, family is family, and a mother and daughter are a mother and daughter."

Ix stood up from her chair and stretched. "Later, when I discovered the prophecy among their notes and realized that they were doing their best to protect me, I decided I wanted to protect them, and so made the choice to produce Mariage cores on my own. They tried to talk me out of it, but I was firm; I wanted to use my power to secure peace if it could. Vivio admitted she had been researching ways to free me from the burden and return my body to normal, but the best she could do was figure out a way for me to fuse with the control core, so that any Mariage I produced would always be under my power alone; never again could someone else use me." She tapped her chest to indicate where it was.

In that moment, Nanoha saw the strange dichotomy present that reminded her much of herself. Ix was both a young mature woman and a child, drawing strength and power from each side of herself. In fact, being a child allowed her to find that part of life that would give her the strength to be mature, and take control of her own destiny in order to protect those she cared about.

And then Nanoha reddened as her stomach rumbled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we got talking for awhile and I forgot to tell you that Einhart-mama has prepared sandwiches!" Ix declared, seemingly reverting to a more child-like state and holding her hand out. "Let's go, Nanoha-gramma!"

Nanoha couldn't help but smile at that, even knowing the girl who humoring her with the statement since none of them were related at all. But both had learned that in the context of family, that didn't matter one bit.

x~~*~~x

Fate glanced out the window of her second story office from a building her Enforcers had seized for government purposes. Below, the people of this small town on the planet of Supool mulled about on their daily routines under the watchful eye of Fate's Enforcers, unaware of the greater events beginning to swirl all around them. They had already been questioned, but none of them knew anything regarding the location of Nanoha, and now a week later, Fate was beginning to doubt she could find the clone of the person who had been closer to her than anyone. Ever since Yuuno's house, there hadn't been so much as a sign of her and the Enforcer commander was starting to wonder if Hayate was wrong.

[Even if she is really Nanoha, would she come to me?] the thought came again. [Carim, Yuuno, and Shari seemed to be preparing her to fight against us. If she were really so important to them, would she even risk it? And what will I even say to her if I see her?]

The last question was the biggest worry on her mind; Nanoha had been the person to pull her from darkness and set her path on the right all those years ago during the Jewel Seed incident. Besides Arf and Linith, Nanoha had been her first real friend, who had constantly tried to reach out to her, despite Fate pushing her away.

Fate's hands clenched. [No, it was more than that; she kept trying despite me pushing her away. Arf and Linith knew me as I was before and didn't have to work to get close to me, but Nanoha befriended me despite how cold I was to her.]

And now their positions were reversed; Fate had to reach across to Nanoha and show her that fighting the Bureau was wrong, and that she was being led astray much like Fate was with Precia. Fate knew how obsessed Yuuno had become with bringing Nanoha back; that was also a reminder of her own mother, trying to bring back Alicia, which Fate knew was wrong. Even though that had resulted in her own birth, there were laws against it for a very good reason.

"Commander, we have some news for you," Captain Rai, her second-in-command declared from a just-opened holographic screen above her desk.

Fate turned around to address him. "Report."

"I'm at the main city detention center a hundred kilometers away," he disclosed, reading from a notebook. "And the local guards have passed on that they have finally caught a pair of bounty hunter mages that had been eluding capture. One of them claims to have seen Seikou."

The news made Fate's heart jump in her chest. "Details? Where? And how long ago?"

"According to what we've learned, it was several days ago on the Jalacia continent, which was overrun by the old Nature Preserve's animals many years ago," he explained. "They came across her while tracking a dragon and recognized her from the posters we've been putting up. They claimed to have caught her, but she escaped."

Fate's felt her blood began to pump faster, giving her skin a tingle. "Organize the men and prepare to move out. Find out everything you can, and then join us. We're going to search every inch of that continent."

He nodded. "Understood, I'll meet you there."

As the screen closed, Fate tried to still the butterflies in her stomach, feeling a strange mix of both eagerness and dread; every inch of her believed that this was going to be it. She didn't know how or why she knew, just that she did.

She was finally going to confront Nanoha.

x~~*~~x

The two women took deep breaths and opened their eyes, taking several moments to adjust as they came out of virtual reality. Neither one of them could form words at the moment, but the two observers took care of that for them.

"Compared to what I remember fighting you, and your past battle footage, that was incredible," Vivio noted with awe.

"Einhart-mama got her butt handed to her," Ix giggled. "It's a good thing you fought in virtual reality; this cavern would never have survived."

The loser of the match reddened slightly. "I know we were planning to go all out this time, but I didn't expect half of what you did. And I was going almost full out near the end, while you still had some to give."

Nanoha appeared suitably embarrassed as well. "I didn't quite realize exactly how much Shari had tweaked Raging Heart, nor how much mana I could output fully now. While Blaster Two mode is safe enough for me to handle without any negative repercussions, Blaster Three is still a bit dangerous. And I still don't fully have the hang of Blaster Overdrive Mode."

"Still, once you went into it, I couldn't keep up," Einhart admitted, sighing. "I think I might have to get Lutecia to further modify my device. I learned a lot from this latest match from you, and I think I can incorporate a few things into my Kaiser Arts."

Well, that will have to wait for now," Vivio declared, suddenly turning serious. "Some news arrived while you two were in there, and you should know about it."

Einhart's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong? I recognize the look on your face, so it can only mean..."

As she trailed off, Vivio brought up a large holographic map of the area. "We've just received an urgent letter from Lutecia, so I checked the detection grid to be sure. There are Enforcers in the forest, and they are slowly working their way southwest to the mountain range where we're hidden. And what's more, Lutecia's bugs confirmed they are being led by Fate."

"Fate-chan..." Nanoha breathed softly, her eyes fixed on the large golden dot movingly slowly on the map. "It's my fault. Like I told you before, I knew those two bounty hunters would inform the Bureau."

"We still have time," Vivio explained. "They're spread out and moving very slowly, checking everything, so it'll be several days before they get close and we're well hidden. We can seal up the hole temporarily and lower our power output and life-support to minimal levels. With a little luck, they'll pass right over us. The minerals in the rocks have some natural AMF properties, which further shields us; it's a large part of why this location was chosen."

"It's still possible they might detect us," Einhart countered, taking off her VR headband and standing up. "And we still have a little over a month until we move out for the assault on Clanagan. I'll head out and lead them away; I can transform into Nanoha and flee the continent; keeping them chasing me for a month won't be too hard. It's imperative that neither you nor Ix be found. You know I'm right."

Vivio's hands clenched at her sides. "No, I really think we should just lay low. We've lasted this long without being found, so-"

"No, I'll go," Nanoha stated firmly, standing up as well. "She's after me. If Einhart gets caught, it will clue Fate in that you are here. If Fate just finds me, then she'll have no real reason to stay and you'll be safe."

"We can't let you be captured, either!" Vivio protested. "You're just as important here."

"I won't be captured if I can help it," Nanoha stated, her voice full of conviction. "But I do need to confront Fate. We were very close before, and I owe her a talk. If we can't work things out..." Nanoha activated Raging Heart, forming the full Exceed mode spear in her hand.

"No, you're just as important as Vivio here," Einhart stating, repeating Vivio's assertion. "You're supposed to lead-"

Nanoha shook her head. "We've had this talk before. Vivio could just as easily be the person who returned from the grave; after all, a lot of people think she's dead. And if I do fail to stop Fate and they keep searching, then you'll be needed to go in my stead." Her voice softened considerably. "Besides, I owe her this. Our last meeting wasn't the best, and perhaps I can get through to her and gain her help changing the Bureau."

"I don't think that's possible," Vivio said sadly, her gaze dropping, but Nanoha was struck more by the sadness in her voice. "Ever since I... killed... Arf, she's been pretty firmly on the Bureau's side. She feels I was brainwashed by the Church, and I don't blame her. Maybe I have been."

Nanoha returned Raging Heart to its jewel while walking over and placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Hey, I know you. You haven't been brainwashed, and I don't think Fate really believes that, either. I'll get through to her somehow. And Arf wasn't your fault; she died doing what she thought was right, just as you fought doing what you thought was right."

Vivio looked up into her mother's eyes, then hugged the woman tightly. "Promise me."

"I promise," Nanoha said easily. "One way or another, I'll bring your Fate-mama home."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

The song that Vivio sings is known as "Hoshi ga Kanaderu Monogatari" or in English "The Story that the Stars Sing." It comes from My Otome, a song that is sung by a few individuals over the course of the story. I found it very touching, and is used much the same way here, as it is in that series. If you haven't watched My Otome, I'd suggest doing so (although you might want to fully watch Mai HiME first). Both series really twist the magical girl genre into interesting avenues, like Nanoha does, but in their own unique ways.

For those waiting for the long awaited Nanoha/Fate meeting, be here next time for "Bound by Fate." Was originally going to be Family, Part 3, but I like the other title better.^^

Lastly, you get an omake!

Nanoha: "So, Ix, um, are Vivo and Einhart together?"

Ixpellia: (_thinks_) "Um, sometimes. Vivio is in the library a lot, though, and Einhart does more practicing."

Nanoha: "That's not quite what I meant... do they love each other?"

Ixpellia: (_brightens_) "Of course! And they love me and Lutecia and you and all the other friends they've showed me!"

Nanoha: (_a little frustrated_) "That's not quite it, either... have they had any kind of special ceremony that specifically tied them together as family?"

Ixpellia: "Hmm, I'm not sure..."

Einhart: (_Arriving with Vivio_) "Actually, we did, didn't we Vivio?"

Vivio: (_nodding as Nanoha listens with interest_) "Yes. We had an arranged Mariage."

Nanoha: "...Somehow, I think I deserve this..."


	21. Bound By Fate

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 21: Bound by Fate**

Xx~~*~~xX

_"I'm Nanoha," the young girl offered earnestly. "Takamachi Nanoha."_

The Enforcer Commander opened her eyes as the soft landing sound brought her back to the present, but she didn't need to turn around. "I knew you'd come."

"I had to," Nanoha confirmed quietly. "But then, we both knew we'd eventually meet."

Fate took a deep breath, then finally turned and glanced upward at the woman standing on the large boulder not too far away, and her breath caught in her throat. If she didn't know the woman standing before her was a clone, she'd swear it was Nanoha come back to life, not having aged a day. Even though she lacked the pony tail, the deep blue eyes and the white and blue barrier jacket of Raging Heart's Exceed mode that flapped lightly in the wind made all of Fate's senses scream one inescapable conclusion.

_"Last time we couldn't properly introduce ourselves. I'm Nanoha! Takamachi Nanoha! A third grader who attends the Seishou Auxiliary Elementary School."_

"Yes," Fate breathed, unable to trust her voice much even though she thought she had adequately prepared herself for this moment.

"It's been a long time, Fate-chan," Nanoha noted softly, then cocked her head slightly. "I'm a bit surprised; you haven't changed as much as I expected you to. But then again, Teana hadn't, either."

Breath caught in Fate's throat, but she controlled it out of long practice. "Yes, it has been a long time. It's all thanks to Mariel's life-extension machine that aging has been dramatically slowed. So we're both not quite what we should be; I'm biologically about 40... and you're a clone."

Surprisingly, Nanoha didn't look sad at all, but kept the same firm conviction expression on her face. "Yes, I know. It took me awhile to come to terms with that. I know Jail cloned me, and for a long time, I didn't know why."

"They're using you to try and overthrow the Bureau," Fate replied with passion growing, surprising herself with how easily she was switching into comfortable conversation with her old friend. "Don't let them; come with me, instead. You belong with us and the Bureau!"

For a moment, it appeared Nanoha was seriously thinking about it, but her next words dashed that hope. "You said it yourself; I'm a clone created by Jail. If I went with you, I wouldn't exactly be someone you could let go around freely. And you'd probably want information from me on people I've met since Jail woke me."

Fate wanted to deny that, but she knew Hayate well; the Supreme Commander would put any feelings she had aside and do what she felt must be done as she always had. Fate clenched her fist, knowing Nanoha was right, and there appeared to be no correct choice here.

"And the Bureau isn't exactly what it used to be, is it?" Nanoha continued, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Perhaps you have done a lot of good, but it's time to change. It's a peacekeeping and police operation, not a space military. Too many individual freedoms have been lost by the Bureau forcing it's will on the people."

Fate fixed Nanoha with an almost accusatory look. "Isn't that what you're trying to do with that time travel plan? Enforce your will on everyone by turning back time and changing history without giving people a choice? Yuuno told me a bit about it, although I not entirely clear on how he planned to accomplish it. I still think he's crazy, but maybe he's convinced you it can be done. Even if it's possible, it's not something we should meddle with. That's something my mother would do, and caused a lot of pain trying to accomplish; you can't bring back the past!"

Fate could see that point hit home, but rather than answer directly, Nanoha paused for a moment before asking, "How are Yuuno and Shari?"

"You'll be happy to know they escaped not long after I delivered them to Hayate on Mid-Childa," Fate replied, sighing. She wasn't entirely proud of how she handled the situation, but things needed to be done and she'd dirty her hands so no one else had to. "I'm not sure how, but they weren't my responsibility after I handed them over."

"I suppose I should be happy for that," Nanoha said simply, her eyes giving a faraway look for a moment.

x~~*~~x

"I see," Vivio said, her face downcast at Nanoha's news. "Yuuno-papa was a good father to me after you died. Despite their disagreements, I don't think Fate would do anything bad to him."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow, Vivio's words triggering a memory about what else Fate had said that night when she attacked Yuuno's house. "She said he was her ex-husband. They were married?"

Vivio nodded after sipping some tea. "I think they were both wrestling with grief over your death, and that brought them closer together. Hayate had her family to support her and threw herself into her work to make sure nothing like that happened again, but Yuuno didn't have anyone except for Fate, and they had known each other for almost as long as they had known you. In time, that closeness turned to love and they got married. Yuuno was already helping Fate raise me, so it seemed like a good fit. And for several years, we were happy."

"What happened?" Nanoha probed.

"In hindsight, I think shared grief wasn't enough to sustain a marriage," Vivio replied sadly. "For almost eight years, though, it was really good. They both were really good to me, and helped me get over your death. But after years went by, they began to disagree on things. It started small, but eventually it became philosophic differences over the course Hayate was taking the Bureau. Fate supported Hayate, but Yuuno was more hesitant. I think he was also working on something that was taking all his time. I remember them arguing one night, and Fate shouted something about how nothing Yuuno could do would bring you back and that he should live in the present. In the end, they decided to separate."

"I see," Nanoha stated, her heart heavy at what her friends had gone through with her death. She never wanted anyone to go through that kind of pain because of her; she had given up her life so they could live.

"But things returned to mostly normal after that!" Vivio insisted strongly, trying to imply it wasn't all bad. "Once separated, they were able to resume a more casual working relationship, and they both had time for me. Until Yuuno came to me one night and said he had to go away, but that he loved me, and he knew Fate would take good care of me. I wasn't sure, then, what was going on, but I understand now that he probably was going into hiding to work on his time travel theory. Still, by that time I was 16 and able to take care of myself anyway."

Nanoha was silent for a moment while she digested all that, then smiled slightly. "Both of them loved you very much, at least."

"They both loved you, too, in their own ways," Vivio said softly, reaching out to place her hand on top of her mother's.

Nanoha gave it a squeeze.

x~~*~~x

"I care about them, too," Fate stated softly, bringing Nanoha out of whatever thoughts were going through her head. "For a time, I honestly loved him. I still care about him to a degree, but I can't let feelings override my judgment."

"I've always believed that if feelings are at odds with judgment, then something is wrong," Nanoha countered.

Fate sighed in frustration, wondering if there would be no way to work things out after all. "So are you still going through with it?"

"About the time travel or stopping the Bureau?" Nanoha questioned, unconsciously reaching up and grasping the small red jewel hanging around her neck. "I'll admit I don't know about the former. But I do know the current situation can't continue; the Bureau has to change, back to what it was before. If that happens, then I don't think there will be a need to try time travel."

"Come back with me!" Fate implored earnestly. "It might not be perfect, but we're still doing a lot of good; work with us!"

"Have you been out there yourself, and really seen what things are like?" Nanoha questioned, her tone and expression pleading. "Not as an Enforcer Commander, but as a normal person."

_Zafira, Shamal, Subaru, Genya, Ginga, Mother, Chrono, Arf, Caro... _

"It's not bad the way things are now!" Fate protested sincerely, avoiding the question. "There are some hardships here and there, but a lot of people have given their lives to make things better, and we can't let their sacrifices be in vain! Thanks to them, we've brought peace to a lot of planets. We can't stop doing what we need to to bring peace and safety to all the planets in the dimensional sea."

Silence descended on the pair for a moment, and Fate could easily see that words weren't going to reach her after all. They had both been through too much to abandon the paths each felt was right.

When Nanoha finally spoke, her words tinged with sadness and regret, Fate knew that Nanoha felt the same. "We're not going to be able to talk each other through this, are we?"

The Enforcer Commander closed her eyes, forcing back the tears. "It doesn't look that way. As much as I hate to, I have to bring you in as a Bureau Enforcer dedicated to protecting the peace. We can't let our personal feelings override our duty."

_"Fate-chan! You said nothing would change just by talking... but I'm sure there are things we can't communicate to each other without using words! We might not be able to do anything about competing with each other like this... but I can't stand fighting like this without knowing anything about you!"_

Fate was unable to suppress a chuckle, envisioning a scene so far away. "Do you remember? This isn't the first time we stood like this. You and Arf tried to convince me to stop, but we both had our convictions we couldn't be swayed from. Back then, you said it would be our first and last true fight, but it appears that wasn't true."

"And it still seems like there are some things that words can't solve, no matter how much we want them to," Nanoha stated sadly in agreement.

When her eyes opened again, Fate had sufficiently hardened her feelings into conviction once more, and thus activated her barrier jacket while the staff of Bardiche appeared in her right hand. "Nanoha, you're special to me, because you brought me out of shadow and into the light, and because of that, I can't let them use you to destroy the peace we have fought so hard to gain. If you succeed, many worlds will be thrown into chaos and countless lives will be lost. So I have to do for you, what you once did for me."

Nanoha changed Raging Heart straight into Exceed mode, her own conviction-filled expression tinged with sorrow. "I know; neither one of us can just throw everything we've done so far. So if we can't talk this out, then we'll let this fight determine everything. Winner takes all."

"Agreed," Fate confirmed, then put a finger to her ear. "Captain, order all the Enforcers to retreat to the transport. No matter what you detect or hear, they are not to leave the transport until I give the order. Also, I am erasing my signal. Do not attempt to trace it. Is that understood?" There was a brief pause, and then she signed off, pulling a small object from her left ear, which she dropped to the ground and then stepped on. "This is between you and me."

Nanoha nodded, understanding. "Just you and me."

Each held the gaze of the other for a moment longer, their thoughts identical.

_I _will_ save her._

Then, as if by unspoken signal, they shot into the sky as one.

x~~*~~x

Streaks of light darted through the sky, one pink and one gold, giving off multi-colored sparks whenever they clashed. One moment they behaved like parabolic arcs, repelling one other before arcing back towards each other like magnets with alternating poles, while the next moment they spiraled around each other in a perilous dance that resembled the outline of double helix.

While the magic wasn't lethal, it was no less dangerous; at least, that's the conclusion Nanoha reached. While Fate was holding back, Nanoha knew they both were still feeling each other out. The last time they had fought was ages ago, and so there was a bit of caution in these preliminary stages.

[Just like me, she's playing defensively, so there's no openings,] Nanoha realized as they parted from their latest clash, magical sparks flying as their devices rang out against each other. [She's keeping it close-range, though, not giving me a chance to fire anything from range, probably expecting me to. If so, she's in for a surprise.]

Nanoha prepared a spread of shooter orbs before flying back in at top speed, but kept them circling her body while the pair dropped lower along the forest tree tops. Fate showed no hesitation about charging back, however, her Haken scythe crackling with magic power. Their eyes and weapons met once more, determination mirrored within, as Nanoha cast her bind on Bardiche; it wasn't a very strong one, but it didn't need to be as she was going to fire her wave of magic missiles from near point blank range.

She almost didn't get the chance.

"Dual Haken Form," Bardiche intoned as powerful electrical magic flowed along the shaft to shatter the bind.

But it didn't stop there; Fate reversed her swing as a second magic scythe formed on the other end. In one smooth move, Fate sliced all the orbs with the second energy tip and brought it back around to attack. Nanoha barely managed to block the second strike with a small barrier from her hand, but then the energy tip exploded and, when combined with the momentum of the swing, sent her crashing down through several tree branches before leveling out and skidding to a stop along the dirt floor.

Partially numb, she flexed her fingers to regain full feeling while glancing up, finally getting a look at how Fate had reformed her weapon in that split instance. Bardiche was now nearly three meters in length, the scythes on either end both curved more inward oriented on opposite sides so that it was almost hypnotic when Fate slowly twirled it in her hands.

"I've got a 50 year advantage over you, Nanoha," Fate stated softly, almost with a tinge of sorrow. "And I know all your attacks. You can't win this."

_"She's SSS-rank now, too," Vivio warned softly. "And she's learned a lot of new tricks. Even when I fought her during the war, it wasn't as easy as I thought it might be. She's good."_

[So am I,] Nanoha added silently, gripping her spear tighter. "We're just getting started."

"Yes," Fate agreed, preparing to attack again. "Bardiche, let's go, Riot Haken."

Nanoha focused her thoughts. "Raging Heart, Divine Cutter."

While Fate separated Bardiche into two short-handled scythes and began to spin rapidly as she dove, Nanoha rose to meet her, forming two separate rings of shooter orbs that spun around her body in perpendicular arcs at high speeds. The two collided once more like a pair of buzzsaws, spinning attacks clashing in a shower of sparks as each sought to cut through their opponent's attacks. They glanced off each other several times while streaking through the sky seemingly evenly matched, but Nanoha realized she was losing orbs with each pass.

Thinking quickly, Nanoha fired off a near-pointblank Divine Buster immediately after separated from their next encounter, although Fate adjusted her spin and merely cut through it, dividing the beam easily. Nanoha kept up the pressure, though, sending her remaining orbs at her opponent while charging her next attack. As expected, Fate dropped out of her spin and cut through them while darting through the sky with her legendary speed to attack Nanoha again.

[She's not the only one with speed,] Nanoha thought grimly to herself.

"A.C.S., Strike Flame," Raging Heart chirped, deploying both the magical spear tip and several wings near the base of the spearhead. "Booster engaged."

Nanoha kept a firm hold on her staff with both hands as the rear end extended and expanded, forming something that greatly resembled the exhaust port of a jet engine. In the next half-second it ignited, a powerful pink flame propelling both spear and wielder towards the incoming Fate. It was almost too fast for the other woman to react to, but she managed to get a shield up before impact and for one moment it looked like it would hold.

[Break through it!] Nanoha commanded silently, Raging Heart answering her wish by loading several cartridges, shattering the shield.

Fated managed to quickly lean out of the way, but the wings tore gashes along her barrier jacket's midsection as Nanoha shot past. The lightning mage flew backwards and prepared her next attack, but the brunette was gone. Fate's eyes narrowed, and only her instincts saved her by executing a quick Sonic Move a split second before Nanoha came in rapidly on another attack angle. But her opponent anticipated that and executed another Flash Move, one that put her right back next to Fate while conserving all previous momentum and velocity.

"Thunder Arm," Bardiche announced as Fate barely managed to throw up her brightly glowing left-handed gauntlet as a block, smacking the Strike Flame tip.

There was an explosion and both combatants were tossed away from each other, but Nanoha was satisfied as she recovered, having inflicted more damage with that attack than she received. Fate's gauntlet was destroyed and she had two gashes along her midsection, although the other woman didn't appear winded at all.

[Still, it's not enough,] she realized. [The best I've done is graze her. Her speed has only increased since I fought her last, and now she can dodge most everything I throw at her. I need something bigger that she can't avoid or block. An Excelion Buster Force Burst or Starlight Breaker might do it, but will I get time to use either?]

Then her eyes widened as Fate began a familiar chant. "Arukas, Krutas, Eygias..."

x~~*~~x

A small insect flew through the air, landing on the fingertip perch, flapping it's wings a very specific matter. The owner of the finger brought it close to her face, closing her eyes as she received the message.

"Yes, I know," Lutecia spoke softly as the ground trembled and various flashes appeared on the horizon. "She's fighting right now."

A larger humanoid figure was suddenly there beside her, turning his head to look down at her in a questioning manner.

Lutecia shook her head. "No, Garyuu, but thanks for offering. This is their fight. As much as I'd like to, she has to do what she needs to, just like we have our own jobs to do. We can only have faith in her."

He nodded, and Lutecia glanced once again towards the horizon, her heart unsettled. [But why can't I dispel this uneasy feeling?]

x~~*~~x

[I almost underestimated her again,] Fate realized, slightly chagrined as she reformed Bardiche back into one unit and canceled Haken form. [She's been deliberately engaging me at close range to throw me off instead of playing to her strength of long-range attacks. I wonder if she senses that I was planning on her doing so to end this quickly? Let's put it to the test...]

She held Bardiche out vertically in front of her and began to chant. "Arukas, Krutas, Eygias..."

Nanoha immediately reacted to stop the cast. "Excelion Buster!"

But Fate figured on that, and instead thrust out her right hand. "Trident Smasher!"

A golden beam exploded forth to smash into Nanoha's singular pink one, vying for supremacy, but overpowering Nanoha wasn't Fate's goal. Hidden within her first spell, the second one took effect, and the smaller two outer beams of her Trident Smasher that erupted a moment later began to spiral and coil around Nanoha's Buster as they worked their way up towards the caster. Fate knew that if Nanoha tried to break off her attack she'd be hit by the main beam, but if she continued to shoot, Fate would have her.

"Blaster One!" Nanoha called, taking a third option as the power in her beam increased, as well as its size; apparently, Nanoha was aiming to try and bring Fate down before the coils reached her.

Fate grit her teeth as Bardiche popped a few cartridges to try and counter it, but Blaster was a monster of a system and she found her Smasher being forced back at an alarming rate. Still, Nanoha's action wasn't quite enough, and the two coiling beams finally reached her to release their stunning Lightning Bind.

Fate let out a small sigh as both beams died, gazing grimly at her now-bound opponent while preparing her next attack. "It's over, Nanoha."

The Enforcer Commander's golden magic circle expanded greatly underneath her as she gathered mana, Bardiche informing her that preparations for the next spell were ready. "Legion Shift."

Nanoha met Fate's even gaze with one of her own while struggling against the multiple binds wrapped around her body, but Fate knew she wouldn't be able to break it in time. "You've tried this once before. You know it won't... work..."

She trailed off and her eyes widened as nearly two hundred golden orbs faded into existence around Fate, who gave her bound opponent a grim smile. "That was then. Things have changed. Take this! Plasma Lancer, Legion Shift; Full Auto Fire!"

In the next instant, Fate filled the sky with thousands of magical projectiles. They didn't just fly in a straight line, but many of them flew out in different angles, arcing back around to strike Nanoha from all sides. Fate knew the first time she did this many years ago, Nanoha had managed to put up a Round Shield even while bound to block all her shots. But this time, Nanoha would be struck from all sides, and thus no shield or barrier could possibly stand up to this kind of barrage.

Fate felt a pang in her chest, but hardened her heart and continued the attack. [I'm sorry.]

She panted as her orbs shrunk in size in response to her barrage ending, but then raised her hand and gathered them all into one, forcing it into her finishing move, a giant golden spear interlaced with similar barrier bursting magic to Nanoha's improved Starlight Breaker; this would end it, once and for all.

[Forgive me.] Taking a deep breath, she threw it at the huge cloud of dust. "Spark... End!"

Breathing heavily more from the emotional impact of what she had just done rather than the physical exertion, Fate slowly lowered her hand as the last vestiges of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon; it was over.

Or so she thought.

"Break... SHOOT!"

Fate's eyes widened as a large number large, pink energy tendrils filled the sky above her.

x~~*~~x

Erio paused as the ground shook again, wondering for the umpteenth time what the hell was going on. This area wasn't really known for quakes; in fact the tectonic stability had been the main reason the preserve had been created here many years ago. He shook his head and continued back to his cabin, placing the large pair of buckets, filled to the brim with fish, down beside his drying shack along with his fishing pole.

The bushy-bearded man felt, more than heard, the presence behind him, and chuckled to himself while pushing one of the buckets over. "I figured you'd show up."

The great white dragon simply stared at him, wiggling his ears slightly before leaning down to sniff the bucket of freshly-caught fish, but then huffed as if disappointed.

Erio placed his hands on his hips. "What's your problem? That kind of fish is your favorite! That's about the only reason you visit me these days."

Fried cocked his head, then turned and blew some smoke over towards the horizon.

"Yes, I have a feeling what's going on, but I don't know what you expect from me," Erio told the dragon gruffly.

The reply was a snort in his direction that contained copious amount of hot smoke.

Erio coughed and waved his hand to clear the white cloud. "You big lummox! What was that for? It's not my fight!"

Fried almost shrugged, as if to say, "Whatever," before finally leaning down to munch on his fish.

Bright lights flashed once more on the horizon, drawing Erio's solemn gaze as several thunderclaps echoed through the air. [It's not my fight...]

x~~*~~x

Fate was right in one respect; Nanoha knew she wouldn't be able to fully block this attack like the last time, and had she still been there when the final spear was thrown, it would have finished her. Instead, she toughened her auto-barrier along with her Round Shield, clenching her teeth against the pain as the first shots came in. Under the cover of the explosions, she activated Blaster Two and used her two newly formed blaster bits to cut the binds, and then executed a Flash Move out of the trap to end up far above Fate.

Still, her barrier jacket took quite the beating; it was missing all of her sleeve below the right elbow, her left shoulder pad, several chunks from her skirt, and a breeze against her back let her know there was a large hole there as well. However, it did it's job and left her in one piece, and she knew exactly which spell to use in the time she had before Fate ended her attack.

Nanoha pointed and fired as Fate finished her own attack. "Excelion Buster, Force Burst. Break... SHOOT!"

Her Force Burst derivative normally split her single beam into five to cover a wider range and increase power via cartridges, but her extra two blaster bits multiplied that, enabling a total of fifteen magical tendrils to bathe a large swath of forest below in destructive energies.

[There's no way Fate could have dodged that, no matter how fast she is,] Nanoha concluded as her spell ended, flying up a bit higher and panting to regain her breath while waiting for the dust to settle. From what visibility she had due to the full moon above, the forest was a mess for over a hundred meters; and Fate had to be somewhere down there among the smashed timber, unconscious.

"You almost had me with that," Fate's voice drifted from behind Nanoha, proving her assumption wrong. "It appears we're both still underestimating each other."

Nanoha's eyes widened, and she quickly turned and flew backwards to gain some distance. But the biggest surprise wasn't quite so much that she had survived; it was that seemed untouched and was sporting a new look. It was essentially a skin-tight black body suit that covered everything, even part of Fate's chin, just leaving a small area around her ears, eyes, nose and mouth uncovered. Her hair was now a single pony tail wrapped with several bands of black material, protruding from a topknot on the top and back of her head. Familiar pairs of golden wings sprouted from her ankles and wrists.

"Barrier Jacket, Slipstream Mode," Bardiche announced in Riot Zanber form, as if that answered everything.

Fate raised her left hand as if to study it. "This isn't something I've had to use since the war. While it doesn't provide much enhanced protection, it both cancels the effects of inertia and reduces friction against physical forces against me by 95%, thus increasing my standard speed and response time greatly."

Nanoha kept her composure, taking hold of her staff with both hands. "No matter how fast you are, you can't dodge if there's no space to dodge to! Raging Heart!"

"MG Shooter," her device answered, and in the next moment, a multitude of orbs erupted from the tips of Nanoha's spear and her two blaster bits, firing nearly a dozen shots a second, but Fate appeared almost mournful as the initial volley closed in.

She appeared to vanish, but Nanoha's eyes just barely managed to track her and swept her staff over to Fate's new location, the black-clad girl almost invisible in the night sky. Cartridges were steadily loaded in a steady thump every few seconds as Nanoha not only continued to poor it on, but widened the radius of her Machine Gun Shooter, magical bullets spraying the entire area from three separate points. Somehow, though, Fate's blurring body was ducking, weaving, and slicing her way through the semi-guided shots, at least half of which were exploding near her into a volley of chains that were also avoided or destroyed.

"Blaster THREE!" Nanoha called, gritting her teeth and upping the ante by slamming in a new magazine as two more Blaster Bits appeared and added their own considerably spray of Axel shooter orbs.

But the only thing taking damage was the forest below during the times she swept her firepower down below to try and follow Fate's almost impossible agility and speed. And just when Nanoha began to notice something weird about Fate's action, her opponent chose that moment to turn and head straight for Nanoha, Riot Zanbar blades held out to either side.

"Kodachi Nito Mikamiryuu!" Fate called out. "Nigenteki Sen!"

The name of the technique barely registered in Nanoha's memory, but too late for her to do anything when Fate blurred and appeared behind her. She felt more than saw the slashes that shredded more of her barrier jacket and sent her plummeting towards the ground as she temporarily lost control of her flight magic. She did retain enough presence of mind to brace her feet against the head of her spear while she fell backwards, however, tilting it upward and quickly preparing another spell.

"Strike Stars!" Nanoha shouted.

Fate's eyes widened as five large beams, each surrounded by a dozen orbs each, converged on her location from different angles. As the entire area lit up into a brilliant explosion dozens of meters across, Nanoha finally reactivated Axel Fin and leveled off several meters from the treetops, panting heavily and wincing while grabbing her side when the pain finally informed her it would no longer be ignored. Her barrier jacket was now little more than an enlarged top and a short raggedy skirt with the entire sleeve from her left arm missing, but if she was right...

"That move," Nanoha noted, regaining a little feeling in the numb parts of her body. "It's Mikami style. You've been taking lessons from my brother."

Fate floated down to stop some distance away, and Nanoha was partially relieved to see she had finally taken some decent damage. Her jet black unitard had several gashes and tears along the arms and legs and Fate's heavier breathing told Nanoha that the other woman had been using up quite a bit of her magic as well.

"I wondered if you'd notice," Fate said with a bit of melancholic humor. "I did take some lessons from him and your sister a long time ago, but those stopped several years before the war."

"I also figured something else out," Nanoha stated, trying to stall for more recovery time. "Your Slipstream Mode is powerful, but there is a cost to it; I'm guessing it takes most of your magic to use the effects, meaning you can only use physical attacks."

"And I see you've canceled your Blaster Mode," Fate stated, noting the lack of blaster bits in the air. "So unless you're planning to use it again, you can't hit me from all sides like that anymore. But, in return, I won't use anymore techniques from your family's school." She brought her Riot Zanber blades together, forming the familiar large Zanber sword. "Though you're still more damaged than I am, and have used more magic that I have."

Nanoha pointed her staff and took a deep breath while readying her next spell. "I'm not done yet, and something tells me you won't be able to move as fast as you were before."

But inwardly, she was unsure. [Will I have to use Blaster Overdrive? It enhances my attacks and defenses, but since I can't fully control it yet my speed and reaction time suffer. My only other chance is...] She bit her lip, wondering if she could pull it off.

"I'm still much faster than you!" Fate shouted as she charged in.

Under the single large moon of Supools, the final round had begun.

x~~*~~x

"Are you still unable to get a lock on what's going on?" Einhart asked, walking into the control room with Ix at her side, the main screen mostly static.

Vivio sighed and sat back, accepting the cup of tea from Ix. "Thank you. And yeah, all sensors are down in that area. It's a big dead zone, and the expended magic is causing interference with the sensors placed farther away." Vivio paused to take a long drink from the cup, then set it down on the small plate.

"But she'll be alright, won't she?" Ix asked nervously; combat matters were still mostly over her head.

"Before she died, it was generally accepted that there were few who could fight Nanoha on an even level when she was serious," Vivio commented. "And while we saw some pretty impressive enhancements Shari made to Raging Heart, Fate has had many years to hone her magic, although since the war she hasn't engaged in any major combat operations, so her skills may be a bit dull. Thus, it's hard to say."

"She won't lose," Einhart stated confidently, crossing her arms over her chest. "I fought Fate a few times during the war, and fought Nanoha in virtual reality. There is something Nanoha has... I can't quite explain it, but I know she won't lose."

Vivio swiveled in her chair. "I hope you're-ack! My cup!"

All three began to make strides to catch it after Vivio's elbow knocked the mug off the counter, but none were able to in time. As the porcelain object hit the ground, all three promptly froze and stared.

The cup had split cleanly in two.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha was right in one respect, Fate concluded; her speed had dropped, and due to the damage to her Slipstream barrier jacket, she couldn't force as much magic in to maintain the effects. It was the one weakness of it; any damage caused leakage, but she couldn't waste the time nor mana to try and reform it. It was the reason why she had switched Bardiche to Zanber form in order to give her enhanced reach. Fate was still faster than Nanoha, but the Ace of the Sky was living up to the reputation Fate remembered Nanoha was famous for.

_Why?_

Once more their dance among the night sky had turned into a close range affair, streaks of light interspersed with bright flashes where they clashed, and small magic missiles fired occasionally in an attempt to catch the other off-guard. The bigger blade she wielded meant Nanoha had an easier time predicting attacks, but Fate knew her best chance was to keep the pressure up and hope Nanoha got tired enough that she messed up and left an opening; the Enforcer Commander still had the edge in mana reserves to outlast her opponent.

_Why are you still fighting so hard?_

As they spiraled upwards into the sky under the bright light of the full moon, rebounding off each others weapons, Fate knew Nanoha could see it, too, which meant her opponent would have to make a more daring move first.

And just as she predicted, the gamble came.

During one particular fierce weapons lock, Nanoha cast a barrier around them both. Before Fate could figure out what she was up to, it exploded, sending the two far apart.

[Barrier Burst!] Fate realized, reeling from the attack, more of her own barrier jacket missing. [Crazy! She probably hurt herself more than me, since my barrier jacket was more intact before the burst. Nanoha, do you really want to win this badly? Why can't you just give in?]

Her second realization was that Nanoha wasn't done as she fired what looked like an enlarged Axel orb. Fate simply swung her large, golden blade, cleaved the shot apart and kept moving, only to realize the spell she broke wasn't what she thought.

[Sacred Cluster!] Fate deduced too late.

She recognized it mostly because it was a favorite of Vivio's, who had picked up the spell when collecting magical data as a young girl; but this particular version had Nanoha's own twist. The pieces of the scattered buster exploded, half of them with stunning concussive force that left no room for her to avoid via her slipstream mode, and the other half with chain binds that secured her arms and legs. Fade knew better than anyone that unexpected combination attack/bind spells were Nanoha's particular forte, and she had used it to great effect here.

[But she has to be desperately low on mana, which means she only has one option... there!]

Fate found her skilled adversary quite some distance away, the familiar glow of a Starlight Breaker sphere forming, and knew she had to act fast. She released Bardiche into standalone flight mode to work on cutting the binds from her upper body, realizing she'd have to employ one last trick to save herself.

As her arms broke free, she grabbed her sword again and ordered, "Bardiche, Rail Form," while silently praying, [Please be in time.]

The sphere was larger now, so Nanoha had to be close to firing, but Fate knew her attack would travel faster if she could just get it off in time. The long, golden blade split straight down the middle, opening up into two prongs while electrical charges crackled between them. The handle elongated and she grasped it under her right arm, glancing through the magical scope and centering the crosshairs on target.

Despite the fact that she was far away, Fate heard Nanoha begin to call it out: "STARLIGHT-"

But Bardiche signaled a lock as the magical bullet finished forming, and she announced her own spell: "Rail Gun, FIRE!"

Accelerated between the prongs, the bullet of compressed magic took off at several times the speed of sound, faster than Nanoha could complete her attack. Fate's spell streaked through the sky and ripped straight into the sphere of pink magic, obliterating it and impacting the mage beyond before finally detonating into an expanding cloud of magical damage.

In the next instant, Fate's mood went from elation of victory to horror, as Nanoha's limp form began to fall backwards from the sky, two pieces of Raging Heart also beginning their descent away its master.

_No!_

Eyes beginning to water, Fate quickly broke the binds remaining on her legs and dove, striving to catch the battered brunette before she hit the ground; Nanoha still wasn't making any move to break out of her fall.

_Faster! Faster!_

She extended her arm, her vision focused solely in on Nanoha, whose barrier jacket was a mere tatters of it's former self, the ground rapidly approaching. [Almost... there! Why did you have to force me to go so far!]

But when the distance closed to only a couple of meters, Nanoha's head came up, blood trickling from her lip as she spoke softly, "Fate-chan. I'm sorry."

Before Fate could realize what was going on, she found herself caught by multiple binds and stared at the brunette in shock. "Nanoha? Did you fake unconscious to get my guard down!"

"I didn't want to resort to this trick, but I promised Vivio I'd bring you home one way or another," Nanoha explained solemnly as she stopped falling and floated some distance away, the pink wings on her feet flickering, barely visible.

Fate realized Nanoha was directly enforcing these binds, so there was no breaking them just yet, but she was still confused. "I destroyed your Starlight Breaker, and you don't have Raging Heart, nor much mana remaining. Let me go, there's nothing more you can do! Why go this far?"

"I promised Vivio I'd bring you home, and we'd be a family again," Nanoha said softly, wincing a bit as she reached up to hold her left shoulder, obviously in great pain. "Even though we only had a few years together, it was good, wasn't it? Don't you want us to be a family again?"

The thought struck Fate hard, and she felt a momentary surge in her chest. [A family again... but...]

_Arf... Chrono... Mother..._

Unable to control them this time, Fate's eyes began to leak more. "I can't! Too much has passed. But if you and Vivio submit to the Bureau and..." She trailed off, realizing the words they were back to; the ones they would have both preferred to use, but knew were useless, but Fate was growing desperate; Nanoha's mana tank was clearly running on fumes, and Fate just couldn't stand to see her best friend tear herself apart just to win. "Nanoha, just please, stop! You don't have anything left. Don't push yourself like this. Just give up, please!"

"That's where you're wrong," Nanoha informed her softly, shaking her head. "I do have something left, one last spell. And you're also wrong about something else: I never canceled Blaster Mode, either."

"Then where are they..." Fate trailed off as she looked around, but didn't see anything.

Nanoha smiled sadly and glanced up. "It's a nice moon tonight."

Fate's gaze immediately shot up, now realizing the moon appeared far brighter than normal, and also comprehended the reason why; there was a large ball of Starlight Breaker magic somewhere far, far up between her and the moon. What's more, her scope detected the array of Blaster bits revolving around an enlarged Raging Heart; but the most horrifying aspect was relayed by Bardiche: the sphere of magic was nearly 50 meters across!

Fate swallowed. "When did you..."

"I sent all four blaster bits up when you thought I canceled them, using the light of the moon as cover to hide the gathering of magic," Nanoha explained, her voice tinged with something unreadable. "I sent Raging Heart up there to join them a short time ago. This is another variation of my Starlight Breaker; not only does it gather spent mana that we emitted here, but ambient magic from both the planet and nearby celestial objects, and then fires from a low orbit at supersonic speeds. This is everything I have left.

She lifted her left arm straight up into the night sky, her eyes firm as she slowly floated away, and then swung her hand down. "Moonlight Breaker!"

Fate knew she had little time and quickly shifted Bardiche back to Zanber free flight form to cut the binds on her arms like she had done before, but that was all the time she could afford to spend freeing herself. Taking hold of Bardiche in Rail Form once more, she took aim at the huge stream of magic that was pouring down from above, bathing the heavens in pink light. She put everything she had left into a cannon shell of compressed magic, Bardiche's separated prongs growing a bit larger and longer to compensate.

Knowing it was going to be extremely close, Fate cast her spell. "Rail Gun Extension, FIRE!"

When Fate's compressed magic shell struck the wide beam descending from above, the resulting growing explosion of brilliant magical energies quickly encompassed both combatants.

Before unconscious claimed her, Fate wondered if either one of them would survive.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

In keeping with my statement of pulling stuff from all Nanoha materials, the translation of Fate's attack: "Kodachi Nito Mikamiryuu" is Kodachi Twin Blade Mikami Style and "Nigenteki Sen" is "Dual Flash." Partially pulled from the Triangle Hearts OVA as the attack Kyoya uses at the end, although mine is a a little variation (Kyoya only had one sword at the time, whereas Fate had two, hence the "Dual" Flash). Also, Fate's "Spark End" was taken from the Movie 1st.

Fate's Rail Gun was partially inspired by the Railgun anime (which is a good series). However, hers fires more like a regular railgun.


	22. New Ground

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 22: New Ground**

Xx~~*~~xX

"What the hell happened?"

30-year old Captain Rai glanced out the window of the transport ship as it ascended into the atmosphere, repeating that comment upon noticing the devastation below once more. For dozens of kilometers around, the forest was torn up badly and pockmarked with large craters, as if two giants had decided to take a stroll and then engaged in an impromptu wrestling match. He shook his head, the scene reminding him of the incident on Episol, which had involved warship bombardment from orbit. The destruction here on Supool wasn't quite as large, but it was still very visible from high orbit.

Especially the largest crater of them all.

Rai had served under Commander Harlaown for many years, but he had never seen a battle between mages cause so much destruction. Of course, he hadn't been involved in the war, as that had come before his time.

_"Hey there, are you all alone?"_

He remembered the time when he was a young 12-year-old street orphan on Earth, and had picked Fate's pocket, just like he had done to so many others. And due to knowing all the ins and outs of the area, he could always escape; his speed was also an advantage, part of the reason he had been nicknamed "Rai" by the other street kids. But Fate surprised him, managing to not only keep up, but somehow get ahead of him and block his path.

_"You can keep the money if you like, but don't you want something better for your life?"_

He was dismissive of her at first, but then she showed him magic and told him he had the same potential, and that she could train him. He was hooked from the get-go, and he spent his next half-a-dozen years training on Mid-Childa, with the goal of becoming her subordinate to pay her back. There was still much about her he didn't know, as she didn't tend to share much with her juniors, but he respected her for her magical skills, her investigative abilities, and her overall moral code. It was the main reason he could believe in the Bureau, because there were benevolent people like her at the helm.

_"Captain Rai, reporting for duty. Please take care of me, Commander Harlaown; I'll be under your care from now on!"_

_"Likewise, Captain. I expect good things from you."_

Which is why he would do anything to protect her now.

But he had to admit this latest development left him considerably confused; her last command before she disappeared was to return to the ship and await further orders. However, after a day passed without any further word, so he had gone against her orders to begin searching. He could guess that she probably encountered Seikou, that triple S class threat that had been the Bureau's focus lately, and most likely wanted to face it alone. Given all that he had learned about Seikou's power, he was more than willing to admit that the commander was probably one of the few who could actually tangle with her; Rai personally knew just how monstrously strong Fate was.

But why remove the communicator? Why not broadcast her position in case they were needed for backup? True, they probably couldn't match the target's magical power; he had heard through the grapevine how badly Signum's unit had been hit when they engaged the suspect. Did Fate wanted to spare them? An odd sentiment, but he was used to her doing things her way, so he let it pass.

_"She's unconscious, but has a steady pulse," the med tech informed him. "She seems to have gone into some sort of magical shock. We can't tell much more without a thorough checkup, however. I suggest we take her back to Mid-Childa immediately for treatment."_

His commander was now laying comatose in the ship's med bay, recovered the next day after Rai had grown worried enough to order a new search. But he was shocked to see the condition his commander was in.

_"She was still tightly gripping her device when we found her, but there is a problem," Lt. Janus explained, showing him the heavily cracked golden triangle that had several chunks missing. "It's inactive, and we're not sure we can restore enough functionality to tell what happened. It had to be related to that incredible magic surge we detected."_

Not just detected, Rai realized, but visibly saw with the naked eye from their position hovering in the clouds over the eastern ocean. A brilliant light that exploded on the horizon, growing in size and intensity, ultimately reaching a size several kilometers across while leaving a crater that could be seen from space. It was the main reason they knew where to start their search in the first place.

"Captain Rai, we've just cleared the atmosphere and are ready to enter hyperspace," came the voice over his communicator from the ship's own captain, breaking him out of his reverie.

Rai tapped his ear piece. "Acknowledged, engage engines. Get us back as soon as possible."

There was no reply, but he didn't expect one.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the planet below, hoping he did the right thing in leaving Janus and the rest of the Enforcers below, to continue their search for the target. Given the magical output they detected and Commander Harlaown's condition, whoever did this was monstrously strong indeed. Of course, he had heard the rumors of Seikou the Starlight Destroyer that beat full contingents of Enforcers and soldiers not once, not twice, but at least three times. Someone who could do that was deserving of great caution, and justified the high threat level the Bureau had assigned her. However, he had left clear instructions that Janus and her unit not engage at all, but just stick to surveillance.

Right before the ship jumped into hyperspace, Rai turned to glance down at the destruction below again, and his earlier words echoed through his mind once more.

_What the hell happened?_

x~~*~~x

"With the prosecution resting its case, we will adjourn for now," the magistrate announced with a pound of her gavel. "We will reconvene next week, where the defense will present it's case. You're dismissed."

["Justice" moves quite rapidly,] Teana inwardly groused. Of course, she knew that with so few actual lawbreakers these days, there wasn't any sort of backlog in the court system to slow things down. [Still, I was hoping to draw this out longer; it's not looking good for Wendi.]

Nonetheless, Teana put on a smile while she hugged her red-haired sister, promising Wendi that things were well in hand before the guards took the #11 cyborg back to her cell. Teana wished she didn't have to bend the truth like that, but she needed to keep her sisters in high spirits, and so far the leads she had weren't too promising, and the prosecution's case was damning; several witnesses had come forward with testimony that Wendi had been overheard complaining about Hayate as well as suggesting that perhaps it was time to replace her. That had been accompanied by some audio and video recordings as well.

But it didn't make sense; Teana knew where Wendi was during the times she was recorded, although they couldn't prove it. And having personally gone through the recordings, Teana had determined they were legit; that was Wendi's voice and image. The Homeworld Security director knew that Quattro's IS left distinctive signals when it was used, but she detected none of that in the files; they recorded exactly what they saw, and detected no transformation magic in play.

So how did Quattro do it?

"Things don't look too good," came the almost purring voice of the cyborg devil incarnate from behind Teana. "It's a shame, too. I really liked Wendi; she was one of my sisters, too."

Teana turned around and strolled through the small gate to the audience section of the courtroom, pausing to glare at her new nemesis. "You need to put more effort into your lies. I _will_ find exactly how you're behind this, and once I show Hayate, you'll wish she had left you in prison."

Quattro shrugged, seemingly more amused by Teana's efforts then the actual plot being played out. "If you say so. I just wanted to come by to express my condolences, before I report to Hayate. She has been showing a renewed interest in my toys, so I'm hoping for a field test soon. I do wish you luck on your defense, though." She then grinned in a manner that suggested the complete opposite. "You'll need it. Ciao!"

Teana watched the woman turn and stroll out of the courtroom along with most of the rest of the audience, taking a few steps towards the door herself before pausing next to one aisle. "So?"

Givo stood up and nodded, speaking in a quiet voice. "I got a reading on her. I should be able to track her wherever she goes now."

"Good," Teana replied in an equally soft tone. "As promised, your records have been expunged and rewritten."

"That wasn't the full deal," Givo told her, eyes narrowing. "What about the rest?"

"I told you, it won't be easy freeing the rest," Teana reminded him. "Your comrades were captured during Vita's assault on the rebel base; they are high-class fugitives. Sneaking one of you out wasn't too hard, but it'll be very difficult to arrange freedom for the rest. However, that depends on you finding out what Quattro is up to."

She hadn't told him, but the main reason for wiping his data from the system was his unique magical skill. Once Teana had learned of Givo's ability to track anyone or anything he had been able to get a read on, she had to make sure that Quattro didn't find out about it. Right now, he was Teana's ace-in-the-hole.

"I know, but if you can't arrange what we promised, I might just let your sister be convicted," Givo countered darkly. "Fitting karma for her. Executed by the same system that she was a party to when she killed my mother."

[If I can keep him focused,] Teana sighed internally, then decided to remind him exactly where he stood. "I can put you back into the system at anytime, too."

Givo glanced up at her, then nodded; he knew his place. He didn't have to like it, but Teana didn't care, as long as she could free Wendi.

"Let's go, then," she told him, beginning to walk off as he fell into step beside her. "Officially, you're my new aide, and as long as you have your ID, you should be allowed almost anywhere I can go, and that's pretty much everywhere on Mid-Childa. Just be quiet about your abilities."

She knew she didn't have to tell him as they had gone over this before, but did so anyway. He didn't reply, but slipped off sometime before they reached the elevator, probably to begin trailing Quattro. For a moment, Teana entertained the notion of making him a full time agent someday; his skill would enable him to find anyone he had met before, making him the perfect tracker provided they were on the planet. But she dismissed that thought almost immediately; she knew he wouldn't go for it.

And Teana had to finish preparing a defense for Wendi's next court date.

x~~*~~x

Verossa crept into the darkened room, collapsing his umbrella and shaking the water from it. While the rain continued to relentlessly assault the building, Verossa let his eyes grow accustomed to the change in visibility, trying to make out the contents of the chamber. However, the owners had done a very good job eliminating any light sources, and thus he was left in total darkness, resigning himself to searching the walls for a light switch. He dearly hoped this wasn't another dead end, like the eight previous places he had checked, but there was only one way to be sure.

He reached into his coat and absently brushed his fingers against the disc, held within it's protective casing. The only evidence of something that suggested there was far more in play than he realized, which had been a keepsake of an old security guard; one that had manned the stations that day of the JS incident when the cradle attacked. The cameras had recorded something that day that the guard was the only witness to. He was on Regius's payroll, though, and thus disappeared with the only security camera recording shortly thereafter, fearing that he'd be held somewhat to account for all that Regius had been doing.

And now it was in Verossa's possession.

His thoughts drifted back to the present, and just as he was wondering if he got the wrong place once again, he suddenly felt a presence behind him and a sword at his neck; he cursed, not having felt her presence at all.

"Don't move, or I'll remove your head," the quiet command from the woman who had gotten the drop on him.

He let out a breath. "That would be a shame; I'm quite attached to my head, Deed."

"Verossa!" the woman gasped, the sword lowering slightly. "Lights."

The room was suddenly flooded with illumination, temporarily blinding Verossa, but when his eyes finally adjusted, he noted the familiar cyborg standing in front of him with twin swords lowered. Another familiar cyborg, Otto, was standing against the wall several meters behind her, studying the new arrival. Inwardly, Verossa felt a sigh of relief, having managed to track the two down; both Otto and Deed had joined the Saint Church upon their release from rehabilitation, and had been serving Carim personally until recently. This was one of the safe houses that Carim and her inner circle had set up far in advance, should anything happen. Verossa just counted himself lucky that these houses were still in existence.

"What are you doing here?" Deed questioned, eyeing him. "We hadn't heard from you in so long, we thought you might have been dead."

"I had to go deep undercover," he explained with a sigh, taking off his coat and hanging it on a nearby chair. "Carim had sent me off many years ago to find out some things; information even she didn't know, that she knew she didn't know, but that she felt was vitally important. However, I didn't expect to find a destroyed mansion when I returned. What happened?"

When Deed's face lowered, Otto closed her eyes and explained, "We're not sure, since Carim sent us away to hide here. I returned later to check, but I saw what you did; the place was a mess. We can only assume the Bureau found her, but if so, we're in trouble."

"More than you know," Verossa answered, reaching into the inner breast pocket and pulling out the disc.

"What do you mean?" Deed questioned, curiously studying the object in his hand. "What's that?"

Verossa eyed both of them as he held up the disc. "If you have a suitable player, we should really watch this first, and then I'll explain all I know."

x~~*~~x

Hayate opened her eyes, many thoughts going through her head as she glanced down at the unconscious golden-haired woman in the bed. Rein had just merged with Fate to scan her memories, then unisoned with Hayate once more to share them, and the conclusions that had been drawn left her disturbed. Fate herself hadn't yet regained consciousness since she was brought in two days ago, and while Hayate wanted to allow her friend to wake up on her own to share what she knew, in the end the Supreme Commander decided she couldn't wait; she needed that information now.

"[I know what you're thinking,]" Rein told her, reading her mistress's thoughts. "[Because I see the same thing. Her actions, her mannerisms, her fighting style... she may be a clone, but she's Nanoha.]"

Hayate sighed while sitting back in her chair next to the hospital bed, and ran a hand through her bleached hair that was evidence of her current unison. "[I know what you're going to say. That before, I could pretend that she was just a clone created by Jail; a tool, and nothing more. That's why I could justify having 'it' killed before Jail's tool could do some harm.]"

"[But she's not,]" Rein stated solemnly. "[Not just a tool. Not just a clone. That determination and battle fierceness; she's as much Nanoha as the original.]"

Hayate's fist slammed down on the edge of the chair, cracking the frame under the pressure. "Damn it, I know that! And damn Jail for setting one my oldest friends against me! I ought to drag his brain back out of confinement for some more torture." She sighed again and rubbed her temples. "But I can't just change the laws on a personal whim; I have to apply them fairly and evenly. That's why, as much as it pained me, I had to arrest Wendi for treason. Even if I capture Nanoha now, she has to stand trial; justice has to be served. Somehow, I almost think that's what Jail intended; use her as a way to torture me."

"[You know that can't be true,]" Rein countered. "[Jail can be vindictive, but his goals aren't that simplistic. She's up to something, and believes it in strongly enough to fight Fate that hard.]"

The Supreme Commander didn't respond, feeling the weight of her office upon her. Sometimes, she dreamed of just giving it all up, but there was no one to replace her. Without her, the Bureau could collapse. She couldn't show weakness nor favoritism, nor bend the rules for anyone. Under her leadership, crime had fallen dramatically, lost logia cases had shown a marked drop in severity, and worlds under the Bureau's flag had come to know peace; billions in the dimensional sea counted on her.

Taking another glance at the patient in the hospital bed, Hayate reached out and placed a hand on top of Fate's, feeling the warmth within. Now having Fate's memories of her fight with Nanoha, Hayate realized what must have happened. Normally, they wove stunning effects into their spells, to knock out their opponent with magical damage rather than inflict real harm, but Nanoha's Moonlight Breaker and Fate's Rail Gun Extension mixed unpredictably into one large explosion of wild magic that intensified the effect. In short, there was no telling when Fate would wake up.

Hayate finally stood, sparing one more glance down at her longtime friend and subordinate. [But I know Nanoha is going to come sooner or later, so I have to start preparing.]

She turned and strode from the room, pausing as the door swished closed behind her. "Captain Rai, I see you plan to continue standing guard."

"Yes sir," he replied dutifully, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "I left the rest of the unit on Supool to continue searching, and I'll return once the Enforcer Commander awakens."

Hayate tilted her head slightly. "You're one of Fate's kids, aren't you?"

"Sir?" the man questioned.

The Supreme Commander chuckled. "Long story. You probably don't know too much of her history. Keep up the good work, Captain. We need more strong people we can depend on like you in the Bureau."

Captain Rai was quick with the salute. "Yes sir!"

Hayate left the area, then. She had difficult and uncomfortable plans to make.

x~~*~~x

"Umin, stop picking on Celi!" the Saint Church nun called, causing the young boy to temporarily stop chasing and poking the young girl with a stick. "Or do you want me to tell Sister D-"

"Waaa, I'll stop!" Umin cried, dropping his stick and running away.

Celi paused, took one look at the stick, then picked it up and chased after the young boy, laughing merrily.

Sister Sein sighed and resumed her trek through the saint Church orphanage. "Geez. That's the fourth time this week. I'm really going to have to ask my sisters how they keep these kids in line." She paused after turning a corner, seeing the door down the hall slightly ajar. [That's strange; she couldn't have...]

Carefully, the cyborg nun tiptoed the rest of the way, and then gently pushed the door open to peek inside, smiling in relief to see the room's occupant still residing in bed. The relief turned into curiosity when she noticed the patient had a visitor, in the form of a young girl on crutches. A whimper sounded from the bed, causing the nun to quickly enter the room to check on the woman in the bed.

The girl-on-crutches finally noticed she was no longer alone. "Is she going to be alright? She's been asleep for three days now."

The nun felt the unconscious woman's forehead, brushing the bangs out of the way to the sound of more whimpers and moans. "She should be. She just needs rest." She turned to give the young girl a smile. "I appreciate you looking after her, Kela, but we should let her be for now."

"Okay," was Kela's subdued response, as she balanced on her crutches and began making her way out.

The nun watched her go, then turned back and inhaled sharply; deep blue eyes were open and staring at her, and a voice croaked, "Sein?"

The cyborg nun smiled warmly and poured some water from the pitcher into a crude metal cup. "Welcome back, Nanoha. How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Nanoha answered, after curing the dryness in her throat with the proffered water. "Mostly just bad dreams. What happened with that girl who was just here?"

"Kela?" Sein questioned. "She was born that way, with a crippled foot, and we don't have the money to get treatment for it. We found her on the doorstep to the orphanage when she was just a baby, and we only know her name because of the card attached to the basket."

"An orphanage?" Nanoha inquired, sitting up to glance around the room, and through the open window to the sea beyond. "Is that where I am?"

"Easy, you've been out of it for a few days," Sein cautioned, helping by placing extra pillows behind the woman. "The children actually found you washed up on the beach not too far from here, and I came by to check on things out. But yes, this is officially a Saint Church orphanage, although if we didn't receive a monthly stipend from the Bureau, we wouldn't be able to take care of the children."

Nanoha's gaze dropped into her lap. "I see. Did you find anyone else near me?"

Sein shook her head. "No, just you. Would you mind telling me what happened? Last I knew, you were supposed to be dead! And here you are, not having aged a day!"

A half-smile formed on Nanoha's lips. It was a familiar question that she had come to expect, and thus launched into her explanation.

x~~*~~x

"Dammit, how could we miss this?" Deed cursed, punctuating her remark by slamming her fist into the arm of her chair.

"It certainly puts things into perspective," Otto agreed. "But who was the cloaked figure?"

Verossa backed up the tape to the scene in question, which was focused clearly on Regius's office, past the point after Signum and Agito had left it. Auris was still unconscious, with the bodies of Regius, Zest, and Due still visible. He paused it just as a new figure materialized into the room, body fully covered by a black cloak, complete with hood.

"Whoever it is, they never turned their face towards the camera," Verossa replied. "It's one of the big mysteries I have yet to figure out, but somehow, I suspect that this person is behind much of what has gone in the past 50 years. Maybe even before that. Although, they aren't the only one."

The trio watched again, as Due struggled to rise, clearly injured, but not as dead as they had previously believed, stuttering, "Wh-who are you!"

The cloaked figure didn't answer right away, but waved his or her hands and the body of a duplicate Due landed on the floor. Then, he/she held out a hand and spoke in a low, gravely and husky voice, "Come with me if you want to live. I require you."

It was unclear to Verossa as to whether it was a male or female voice, although he was leaning towards male. Whoever it was, the figure didn't wait for a response, but grabbed the real Due's hand and pulled her over his/her shoulder, positioning the fake Due body in her place. Then, with a magical flash, the two teleported out. Several minutes later, the security detail arrived in the room to secure the area, and the image dissolved into static.

"You've learned nothing about this person?" Deed questioned again.

Verossa shook his head. "No. And it was almost luck that I found the security guard that had fled with this recording. But as you can clearly see, we have a major problem."

The two sisters met his gaze, their solemn expressions relaying the fact that they clearly understood the full implications of what they had just seen.

x~~*~~x

"Hello Fate, how are you feeling?"

The woman in the hospital bed turned her head. "I'm doing better. The doctors tell me I should be able to get up tomorrow, and be back to normal in a few more days."

Mariel smiled and sat down beside the bed, patting the other girl's hand tenderly. "That's good. I heard you had a run-in with your old friend, Nanoha. How is she?"

At the mention of the name, Fate's emotions took a downward trend.. "Physically, emotionally, and magically, she's a near-perfect clone. For better or worse, she's Nanoha." Almost unconsciously, Fate's hands clenched. "But I was unable to persuade her. She's going to fight us."

"Even if it is Nanoha, how would that even be possible?" Marial wondered aloud. "She's just one person. I have heard of a few scattered terrorist groups, but even if she teamed up with them, there wouldn't be any way she could-"

"Nanoha will find a way," Fate interrupted the other woman, then half-smiled. "She's always been like that; powering on through no matter what was in front of her. She won't give up."

[And I'm not entirely sure I can or will stop her,] Fate didn't say out loud. She had been on the wrong side once before, and it was almost too terrifying to consider that she might be there again. [Is she right?]

In order to change the slightly uncomfortable topic, she asked, "How is Bardiche?"

Mariel bit her lip, then opened a holographic screen showing the heavily cracked device along with a running technical display. "I'll be honest that it doesn't look too good. From what I have learned, Bardiche was bathed with an incredible amount of wild magic, which overloaded practically all it's systems. We might have to rebuild the entire thing. But it's partly why you're mostly undamaged; the device filtered much of the wild magic out of your body."

The revelation hit the already emotional Fate even harder, but she swallowed and tried to hide it. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I assume you mean the AI, and it's difficult to tell," the Bureau's head scientist answered. "It's scrambled with a lot of sectors unreadable. Since you'll be up and about in a day or two, I'll have a new device you can use in the meantime. It's similar enough to Bardiche that you should be able to adapt to it, and I've even tweaked it in order to enhance most of your standard spells."

Fate raised an eyebrow, unsure how she felt about that. "New device? I'd really prefer using Bardiche..."

"To be honest, technology has progressed quite far since your device was first made," Marial explained. "The upgrades we've performed over the years has allow it to keep pace, but it might be time to go for something new. I'll transfer what I can of the AI into the new shell and keep as much of the old functionality as I can."

Fate lapsed into silence, remembering a time long ago, when Linith had constructed Bardiche for her. In a lot of ways, whenever Fate wielded the weapon, it felt like her old instructor and friend was somehow still with her; if she lost Bardiche, she would have lost her last link to that time, as well as another familiar presence she had come to count on. That wasn't something she wanted to contemplate.

Marial reached out to pat Fate's shoulder. "Don't worry too much. There's still a chance we can rebuild Bardiche, but we'll know for sure in a week or two. At the least, we'll salvage as much as we can and incorporate it. See, look."

The Enforcer commander looked up as the head tech opened another holographic screen, displaying a blue triangle device that was nearly identical to Bardiche, except for the color. As Fate glanced back and forth between the two, she couldn't help but feel a similar duality inside that mirrored the twin devices. She had come to embrace her current path, no matter where that had taken her or even despite the hardships it meant. However, ever since her encounter with Nanoha, she had been feeling something new inside; a sensation both old and new, which somehow excited and disturbed her at the same time.

The confused woman turned over on her side, away from Mariel, and pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "Thank you. I know you'll do your best. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to get some rest."

Mariel switched the screens off and stood up, the edges of her lips slowly curving upwards. "I'll do what I can for you, just as I always have. Get some rest; you'll need it for the trials yet to come."

Fate puzzled over those words for a moment, but when she turned around to ask, Mariel was gone.

x~~*~~x

"Wow," Sein finally commented, trying to take everything in. "Carim always told us to have faith, but never told us much. That explains the damage your device took."

"It's a lot to take in, I know," Nanoha agreed, looking back on her life thus far and finding it almost unbelievable herself. She glanced at the cracked red jewel that had been mostly silent from where it rested on the nightstand next to her bed; as best as she could determine, it was in self-repair mode and she had no idea when it would be fully repaired again. "And so I need to go find Lutecia again. She might be able to teleport me back to Mid-Childa."

She had shared most everything that had happened since she woke up, but leaving out anything relating to Vivio or time travel. [I especially can't tell anyone else about the latter just yet, until I figure out what I'm going to do myself.] Still, the prophecy was enough to cover any gaps.

"Well, that's going to be a problem," Sein answered with a sigh. "You're no longer on the Jalacia continent; I guess your fight with Fate tossed you across the Aghes ocean to end up here on the Gojan continent, and the Bureau has forbidden all travel to and from Jalacia."

Nanoha laid back down and sighed, hoping Vivio, Einhart and Ix we're still okay. "They are probably still looking for me. I need to get back to Mid-Childa and announce my presence so they stop looking for me there. Lutecia and Erio are in danger."

[And Vivio,] she added silently.

Sein leaned back in her chair and bit her lip. "There still might be a way. When you're well enough to travel, I'll take you to some people I know. But I can't promise anything, and it's not going to be easy."

x~~*~~x

"Okay, now," Yuuno whispered to his wife as they lay under the sheets in the small bed.

She nodded in the darkness and threw off the covers, having expected this moment; it had been at least 10 minutes since Runessa had left on her rounds, so they had a short window of opportunity. "Are you sure about this?"

Yuuno nodded as they quickly got dressed. "I've kept track of how long she's gone each time and when she comes back. We should have enough time now, and as I said before, certain things aren't adding up. The sooner we get out of here, the better. I want to find out what's going on above, and be in a position to help Nanoha if I can. After all, it's my fault she's in this position now."

Shari found his shoulder in the dark and gave it a squeeze, saying a lot without saying anything at all, and then the pair finished getting dressed and moved to the steel door that led an aquifer; however, it was still locked as expected. They had been told it was for their own protection, to keep them hidden in case a patrol came through the aquifer tunnels, but Yuuno no longer bought that rationale.

"My turn," Shari said with a grin, pulling a small device from her pocked and placing it against the lock, the magnetic grips holding it in place. "Took me awhile to make this, but thankfully, Runessa supplied me with parts, ostensibly to get your collar off, but you're right; she's deliberately not giving me the right parts, when I know she could. But I was able to make this!"

She tapped a button and there was a sizzling sound; and then the lock fell away and the door swung open.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" Yuuno stated, unable to suppress a grin.

"You could always stand to mention it more," she replied, amused while taking the small device off the door in case they needed to reuse it.

"Well, I'll show you how much once we get out of here," he promised, and then moved through the door and landed in the running water of the aquifer channel with a splash. "Let's go."

Shari took the offered hand as her husband helped her down into the chilling water. "Where to now?"

"Not sure, but if we keep moving upstream, we should be able to find the central pool that the water comes from," Yuuno suggested as they began to move. "There should be a maintenance hatch we can escape out of from there."

But they hadn't made it very far, just around the aquifer corner as a matter of fact, before their attempted escape ran into a dead end. The couple stared at the near blank cement wall before Yuuno stepped up against the flow and felt the upwelling of water through the grate below.

"It shouldn't be like this, if I recall the water systems correctly," Shari reasoned. "It should be a normal channel all the way, right?"

"Indeed, it should," echoed a male voice around them, a moment before the walls around them fell away, revealing a much larger room around them, filled with computer equipment and glowing capsules. "If this was actually what you thought it was." He sighed, then turned to address the darkness along the other side. "I told you that this wouldn't last too long."

Runessa walked out of the shadows. "My apologies, but I thought I could maintain the illusion a bit longer. What gave me away?"

Yuuno smiled grimly. "It wasn't quite what you did, but what you didn't do. No one else knew what we were up to, so there was no one who could have given you an order to keep us hidden. But I didn't think Runessa Magnus would turn against the church that tried to help her."

Shari gasped, then pulled on Yuuno's sleeve to direct his attention. "I don't think that's Runessa..."

The librarian turned, his eyes widening in surprise at the nude form floating in the yellow liquid-filled capsule. "Runessa? Then who is..."

They both turned back, staring as the previous Runessa's form shifted, revealing a maliciously grinning face, along with a familiar blue bodysuit. "Hi!"

Yuuno knew he'd seen the face before, but it was Shari who realized it first. "Due! But that's impossible; you were dead!"

"For someone as technically skilled as you are, Shario S. Finieno, I would have thought you'd remember my IS," Due chided, waving her finger.

Shari's eyes widened. "Liar's Mask... you faked being a dead body? But how? Zest killed you!"

"And he was under my predecessor's care," the disturbingly familiar male voice sounded again; Yuuno almost had forgotten he was there. "It was a simple matter to include some subconscious programming, designed to take over in the event he attempted to attack one of my children. It merely let him believe he had struck a fatal blow."

"Your predecessor?" Yuuno questioned in disbelief, his eyes narrowing. "Jail!"

The figure finally leaned forward, exposing the youthful face of Jail Scaglietti to the light. "Indeed. And we have so much to talk about, Yuuno H. Finieno. You and your lovely wife are going to tell me all about time travel..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

For those curious, yes, Fate's Rail Gun in the last chapter was partially inspired by the Railgun anime (another good one that I encourage people to watch). When trying to think up new attacks for Fate, Mikoto's control over electricity and electromagnetism provided some inspiration, although Fate's is a more traditional railgun in that her Zanber sword splits down the middle to provide the two prongs for the "barrel". And as a side fact, whenever I do combat now, I tend to listen to "Only My Railgun" and "Level5 Judglight" (Both Railgun OPs) to get me into the proper mood, heh. I like the upbeat nature of the songs.

Rai in Japanese means "lightning" for those who don't know.


	23. Underground

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 23: Underground**

Xx~~*~~xX

Two nuns walked slowly down the streets, almost strangely out of place for the ghetto section of town that made up most of New Vegis's outskirts. However, the residents didn't pay too much heed to them, as there was a small church in the neighborhood, so the sight of the sisters wasn't too unusual. However, if anyone had been looking and knew the area well, they might have found it a bit odd when the two detoured into a particular small restaurant; it wasn't exactly a place that members of the Saint Church visited due to the questionable clientele that often made use of it.

"I don't know how you can live each day in this outfit," Nanoha groused, reaching up to adjust the nun's habit on her head after the pair had been led to a booth in the back.

Sein couldn't hold back the grin. "I think it suits you. At least it allowed us to get past the patrols and security checkpoints without too much suspicion. Between that and the green eye contact lenses, no one recognized you."

Nanoha sighed. "Well, are you sure this is the place? I don't know who you intend to meet here..."

The restaurant wasn't exactly 5-star material; indeed, Nanoha wondered if it was even visited by health inspectors. There were gashes in the booth seat cushions, revealing the fluffy padding underneath, and she couldn't help but cough a few times at the thick smoke in the air. Even the glasses of water had a few smudges on them, although Sein happily took a few gulps out of hers. Nanoha sighed and carefully sipped hers, wondering what was coming next.

It had taken several days to travel here, and all the while her cyborg companion had been tight-lipped on who she was planning to meet, or how this would tie in to getting Nanoha back to Mid-Childa. Sein wouldn't even say why she was being so secretive. Whatever it was, Nanoha figured she had a less than a month before the event in Clanagan; a month before the assault. But she would need to be there far in advance in order to help plan the attack, so time was definitely against her. Thus, she reluctantly let Sein take the lead.

Although the current atmosphere was nearly making her regret it.

"Just be patient, and let me do the talking when the time arrives," the #6 cyborg answered mysteriously.

The nun-disguised Nanoha wondered at that, but sure enough, three men entered the restaurant almost a half-hour later and made a bee-line for their table, sliding in opposite of the two women. The way they acted and leered immediately made Nanoha's senses go on alert and thus she prepared a couple of spells just in case, but surprisingly, Sein seemed to know them.

"Long time no see, Tony," the cyborg greeted, then made a show of waving a hand in front of her nose in a "pee-eww" motion. "Long time no bath for you, either."

Tony was apparently the man in the middle, as his lips made a fine line while the two companions instantly delved into guffaws. "No ladies have complained about the way I smell yet. Even you didn't-"

Sein hit the table, with almost enough force to crack it. "That's enough of that! As much as I'd like to catch up on old times, we have business to discuss."

Nanoha was beginning to get a feel for the situation; apparently Sein knew Tony, who seemed to be someone of ill repute, quite possibly criminal. His two companions looked to be thug-type bodyguards, as her trained eyes could see the outline of weapons under their shirts, and the way they sized her up as well as kept an eye on the rest of the place. Nanoha could see now why Sein hadn't said anything; what was a Saint Church nun doing with crime gangs?

"Always to the point," Tony noted with a small grin. "So what is it this time? Going back onto the circuit? More pictures? Something more, possibly involving your lady friend here?"

Nanoha raised an eyebrow. [Pictures?] She was glad the nun outfit hid the goosebumps building on her skin, as she instantly realized the leering looks the three thugs were giving her.

However, Sein just smiled grimly. "Something like that. I need to arrange transport for her to Mid-Childa. No questions asked."

Tony instantly threw up his hands. "Whoa whoa whoa! Who do you think I am? I'm only a small fry around here."

"You mean there is something that the great Tony cannot do?" Sein half-teased with a wink.

"Haha, very funny," he snorted back at her. "You know that's an act. I've kept my head and made a decent place for myself because I know my limits. I could probably set up contacts to get her off-world, but Mid-Childa is the Bureau's home turf; security there is nuts. I don't care how much you're willing to pay."

[So that's what she planned on,] Nanoha realized. [If I can't legally get off planet, that only leaves an illegal aspect. And of course there would have to be a criminal underground and a black market.] That also made her realize that not all crime had been stamped out, like the Bureau and Fate had claimed.

Sein's teasing smile disappeared. "You taught me that everything has a price. Are you telling me things have changed?"

"Yes, but not every price can be paid," he answered solemnly. "I do what I can for my small piece of turf and the people who live here, not sticking my neck too far out because the Bureau would come down hard on us."

"So you're saying there's no way?" the cyborg questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Tony sat back and lit up a cigarette, though Nanoha absently realized that he probably didn't need to; there was enough smoke in the restaurant already. "I didn't say that. You might have to see the old man, though."

All throughout this exchange, Sein had clearly been in her element, which made her sudden expression change to worry that much more disturbing. "Old man? You can't mean... him?"

"That's why I said not every price can be paid," Tony repeated in a dead serious voice. "We have our fun, but those guys mean real business. However, if anyone can get you to Mid-Childa, they can." He finally turned towards Nanoha and gave her a look that made her uncomfortable more by what it implied, rather that what was said: "However, your friend here might not like the price."

x~~*~~x

"I just received a reply from the orphanage that Sein went to investigate, and she's no longer there," Deed announced, coming back into the room to the heavy pattering sound of rain striking the roof.

"She left to check out a mysterious patient they recently took in," Otto clarified, before Verossa could ask. "Her IS makes her the best choice for traveling without getting caught, naturally."

"So where did she go?" Verossa asked, turning his attention back to Deed, who sat down at the table opposite of him, next to her sister. Verossa couldn't help but notice how alike the pair were; even more than their other sisters, Otto and Deed were incredibly close and tended to mimic each others gruff attitudes and mannerisms.

"That's the weird part," Deed answered after a moment. "The nuns say that Sein left with the guest, taking another nun outfit with her, I presume as a disguise. They never learned the patient's name, but apparently both of them were headed in the direction of New Vegis, the largest city on Supools, which also houses the starport."

Verossa nodded, recalling "Also the biggest gambling location in the quadrant, and rumor has it the source of an illegal fighting ring that the authorities turn a blind eye to in exchange for a cut of the action. But what would she be doing there? And why not contact you two first?"

"Sein is probably going to find some of her criminal underground contacts," Otto theorized with closed eyes, deep in thought. "She was the main liaison with the crime families during the war. She probably doesn't want us to get involved, in case things go bad, as she can get herself out of trouble easily."

Verossa understood; with her Deep Diver IS, Sein could literally phase through anything, and thus couldn't be held or threatened easily. It was hard to deal with someone who could simply sink into the floor.

"Unfortunately, we may not have time to wait until she's done whatever she needs to do," Otto added, opening her eyes again. "We need to get this information to the resistance on Mid-Childa, and to Chrono as well."

Deed stood once more. "Then it's settled; we'll head to New Vegis and meet up with Sein. It's about time we left Supools anyway, as we can't do any good here. At least in the resistance we can see about freeing Carim and Schach."

Lighting flashed outside the curtained window, punctuating by thunder a split second later as rain continued it's downward pour, pulling the attention of all three occupants. Much like the weather outside, each one of them got the feeling their next course of action was about to lead them into stormy territory.

x~~*~~x

Sein laid a hand on her companion's shoulder as the pair waited in the run-down church. "Are you sure about this?"

Nanoha half-smiled. "No, but what choice is there? I need to get back to Mid-Childa as soon as possible. You were the one who got me involved in the criminal element in the first place. Unless you know of another way?"

The cyborg chuckled, a fond smile on her face that spoke of fun times in the past. "No, I don't. The starport and it's accompanying teleporter has been locked down by the Enforcers, and all outgoing ships are searched, so the 'criminal element' as you put it, is the only choice we have.

Sein sighed. "But Tony isn't too bad. The crime gangs don't like the Bureau anymore than we do, so we kinda hooked up during the war. They helped us with intel and supplies as best as they could, and that's where I met him. I was the Saint Church contact with most of the crime families, and I helped them out; due to my Deep Diver ability, I could take supplies through anything, secretly, whereas transportation magic could be detected. My friendship with Tony lasted after the war, where I took up some street fighting in the underground circuit to help earn money for various orphanages; they were overflowing with orphans after the war."

"Street fighting?" Nanoha questioned in surprise, almost unable to imagine the cyborg participating in that.

"Well, it's probably more apt to call it an underground fighting circuit," Sein clarified. "There used to be tourneys and such back in the day, organized by the DSAA; you probably remember them." She paused for Nanoha to nod, indicating the other woman did have memories of them. "I believe Sister Schach had a student that entered for several years... Anyway, you don't see that stuff out in the open nowadays, since most all mages are drafted into the Bureau's army. So crime families took over, sheltering mages secretly, and in return, they'd fight and provide entertainment. There are two circuits: normal and mage, and since I'm not a mage, I could only participate in the lower normal rounds."

Nanoha could remember watching matches and tournaments sponsored by the Dimension Sports Activity Association. It was always a good place to find out the latest magical styles, and see if there were new interesting magic spells or techniques that she could incorporate into her own arsenal, or teach to her students. She was saddened to learn it had been discontinued due to lack of mages; just another casualty of the Bureau current way of doing things.

She shook her head and decided to venture asking something else. "And the pictures?"

Sein actually blushed a bit and waved her hands. "It's not what you think! Well, not mostly... But pictures of cute nuns in various poses and states of dress do sell well, which helped bring in some money, too. Since we cyborgs don't really age much, I've been able to keep my youthful figure."

She made a show of running her hands down her curves, which, given the nun's attire, made the situation all the more silly to Nanoha given her own understanding of nuns on Earth. The Belkan Saint Church ones were an entirely different breed, and didn't exactly take vows of celibacy or non-violence.

Nanoha couldn't help but smile, but decided to change the subject. "So, you don't know anything of this old man?"

"Not much," the cyborg nun admitted. "In every crime gang, there is a leader or lead family, so I suppose he's the one for this city, or perhaps even all of Supools. Almost nothing dirty happens here without his organization knowing. There are pirate ships and pirate routes operated by these families, but the real issue is what the cost will be, which is how I imagine they'll smuggle you out, but Tony didn't think the cost would be pleasant."

"'Not every price can be paid'," Nanoha quoted, suppressing a shiver as her imagination ran wild.

What would she be willing to pay? Of course, that thought wasn't as scary as the one that realized she _had_ to pay almost any cost to fulfill her mission. Still, it was the waiting now that was the worst; it just gave her imagination more time to come up with increasingly horrifying scenarios. She hadn't had any real dealings with the criminal element in her past life; that was more Fate and Teana's territory as Enforcers. Nanoha was content to just train people and occasionally step in to help on major incidents.

Suddenly, there came three knocks on the door, which both women realized was the signal. Nanoha nodded at Sein, and they opened the doors, seeing Tony and his two bodyguards waiting outside. At the bottom of the steps, a fairly nice black car with privacy windows awaited; apparently, Tony had been successful in arranging something.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo," Tony offered in a quiet voice as the two exited the church. "I vouched for ya, but I can't go with ya."

Sein stopped and surprised all present by leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Thanks for caring, but we'll be alright. If we come back, perhaps I'll give you that date you always wanted."

He chuckled as she winked at him, and Nanoha had to admit that he didn't seem such a bad sort, although odds are he had probably committed numerous crimes. But given the way things are and what she herself had gone through, she didn't have much room to complain. Sometimes breaking the law was the only way, which oddly further strengthened her conviction. The Bureau's increased security hadn't really decreased crime after all, and indeed, it had driven more people into becoming criminals.

[The Bureau's new way isn't quite so good, after all,] Nanoha realized as the two women descended the steps and entered the automobile, the door held open by a bald male who resembled a secret service agent with his black suit and glasses.

The trip was mostly uneventful, except they were blindfolded and had their ears plugged and halfway through they were forced to exit and be frisked. The pat-down was fairly intimate and uncomfortable, but it was carried out almost in a professional fashion, and Nanoha could hardly blame them for these actions. There was a bit of a question about Raging Heart, but she was surprised they let her keep it after a quick scan, presumably because it was still in self-repair mode and thus mostly inactive.

The car trip ended not too long after that, when the blindfolds and earplugs were finally removed, the pair found themselves in some sort of lobby. Various well-dressed people filled the area, drinking and conversing while several screens showcased various mages fighting to the running play-by-play of commentators. One side was lined with gambling counters where people placed various bets, but those were ignored as the pair were escorted into a hallway with windows, where a large circular coliseum could be seen, the stands half-filled with cheering crowds. In the central lowered pit, two mages fought, hurling various spells at each other, occasionally closing to melee distance. Various shields protected the audience from stray blasts.

Then they pushed into a darkened side room, the door slamming closed behind them. The scene wasn't quite what Nanoha expected; square panels two meters across surrounded them, each backlit and showcasing a human form sitting beyond. A pair of chairs were in the middle of the room, and the two women took it to mean they should sit in them.

"I hear you have a request for us," came an old male voice, but in such a way that it was impossible to tell which direction it was coming from as the two women sat down. "Transport to Mid-Childa. That's quite a tall order."

"If you believed it impossible, you wouldn't have let us come see you," Sein reasoned, taking the lead again, although Nanoha could tell the normally boisterous cyborg was fairly nervous.

"You are correct, young lady," he replied, his voice thoughtful. "There is a way; the question remains as to the price. What you seek entails great risk and cost to us. I agreed to see you because our family was one of the Saint Church's allies during the war. But that is the past, and I doubt you have the money necessary to pay for this trip."

Sein swallowed, but her voice became a bit steadier. "And we're allies, still. We continue to share the same goal: the Bureau. You aren't happy with the way things are, and neither are we. Let's continue working towards a future we both want!"

"Perhaps," he admitted cautiously. "But then again, we've been able to make a decent life. There are still enough corruptible officials that we can continue to exist. And I highly doubt the church is prepared to start another war it knows it can't win. Which leaves the problem of payment; if your friend works for us, she can earn the passage fee. We always interested in pretty girls, and after a year or two-"

"Excuse me, but that would be too long," Nanoha interrupted, standing up; she didn't like where the conversation was going, and despite Sein's horrified look, she decided to take matters into her own hands. "And I believe I can offer something better that what you would be implying."

"What are you doing!" Sein hissed worriedly in a low voice.

There was a pause, before the voice replied, "Interesting, what do you have in mind?"

"From what I understand, you have an illegal fighting ring going; how about I earn passage fighting in it?" Nanoha suggested, pressing forward; she had always been someone who sought to face things on her terms. "I am a skilled mage."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken if you think that will earn you the money any faster," the voice replied regretfully. "You'd have to start out at the bottom and work your way up. You'll earn much more, and more quickly, with your body..."

The voice trailed off as Nanoha removed her nun outfit, glad she was wearing the borrowed shirt and sweatpants from Sein underneath. Lastly, she removed the contacts as well. "You may have heard of me; I'm Seikou. How much do you think you'd make organizing a special match if I fought for you?"

For Nanoha, it was a gamble; they could just turn her in, as there was surely a reward for her capture. But she was wagering the reputation she had developed thus far, that it would bring in far more gambling profit than any possible reward for her capture. And judging by the multiple hushed voices speaking in low whispers all around them, it had certainly gotten their attention.

"The Starlight Destroyer, here? Why weren't we told!" "I heard she took out at least three Bureau divisions by herself!" "I heard she completely obliterated the Jalacia continent!" "We should turn her in for the reward!" "No no, if she is the real thing, she could bring in a ton of money for us!"

Nanoha worked hard to suppress a smile; it did seem as if her reputation preceded her, and appeared to be growing unrealistically each time she heard about it.

Hands clapped twice to quiet the room down, before the original voice spoke again. "It appears as though we will need some time to consider your offer. We will let you know what we decide."

The lights behind the panels went off and Nanoha looked down at Sein, who was hiding her face in her hands. "It'll be fine, really," she tried to assure the #6 cyborg.

Sein gazed up at her, giving her a dark look, and then sighed. "We are so dead."

x~~*~~x

"What's the report from Supools?" Fate asked as she finished attaching the cape to her uniform, pausing to glance in the side mirror. In some respects, it felt good to get back in uniform, but she wondered if she had grown or if the outfit had been altered, because it didn't feel quite right and she was unsure why.

She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts back in order. The doctors had allowed her to go back to work, provided she took it a bit easy for a few days so her body could fully recover. They didn't want her to be subjected to another strong shock, like the one that sent her to an almost coma-like state in the first place.

"Nothing definitive yet, but our numbers are a bit limited considering the area we have to search," Rai's voice came from the other room. "I'd like to request another battalion at least, given the importance of this assignment and the ground we have to cover. It's also possible the target slipped away off the continent before we got our sensor net back online. That wild magic burst fried most of the sensors and blinded them for almost 16 hours."

Fate remembered that magic burst most intimately; she had been in the middle of it, after all. She also recalled that Nanoha had been in the process of flying away from her, most likely trying to get away from her descending Moonlight Breaker. Given the explosion that followed, it was likely that Nanoha was tossed away, but how far? And what condition was she in? Was she okay?

Fate shook her head again; she had to focus on apprehending the target... didn't she? "I"ll talk with Hayate. Currently she's having Signum and Vita organize the troops. Our next time going after the target will be three on one, with a couple of troop contingents as backup. I'd like to have Teana join us, but that all depends on how Wendi's trial goes."

"Understood, I'll pass that along to Janus, and she already knows to just locate the target and not attempt to capture," her second-in-command replied, making some notes on a datapad, then looking up to see Fate come into the room. "And it's good to see you up and about again, sir. We were really worried about you."

The Enforcer Commander managed a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, but she averted her face while heading to the door in the hopes he didn't notice. "Thank you, Captain. It's good to be back." Somewhere in the back of her mind, a thought came unbidden, asking why she didn't fully believe that line.

"Sir, may I ask you something?" the captain suddenly asked, an uncertain tone in his voice.

Fate paused, glancing slightly over her right shoulder. "Yes?"

"The Supreme Commander called me one of 'Fate's kids' and I was wondering what it meant," Rai asked curiously, then quickly made warding motions with his hands. "I don't mean to pry into your private life or past, I just wondered what it meant."

Fate's lips tugged upwards slightly, memories flooding her consciousness, both pleasant and painful. "No harm. I suppose I never did talk to you about it, but during my Enforcer years, I used to rescue a lot of orphans and kids and find them better lives, sometimes taking care of them myself, much like I did with you. But you were the last one."

"I've never met any, but I'd like to," Rai noted aloud, which gave Fate pause. "Perhaps you could tell me about them sometime?"

"Has my normally gruff captain become a bit softer?" she teased, somewhat amused by this; he had always put work far ahead of anything else.

Captain Rai instantly went on the defensive. "No no, just curious! They'd have to be good people if you took them in, after all. Forget I said anything."

Fate chuckled, but inwardly her thoughts were troubled; it was true she hadn't heard from Erio or Caro since the war, and them siding against her hurt just as much as Vivio's defiance did. They tried to persuade her prior to that, too. But on some level, she was glad they were able to stand on their own for their own beliefs, even if that brought them into conflict with her. She wondered what they were up to, and whether she should try to track them down, or just leave them in peace.

Shaking yet more distracting thoughts from her head, Fate tossed one last sentence over her shoulder to her second-in-command and friend before heading out the door. "Maybe you'll meet them someday."

x~~*~~x

"Hello?" Nanoha asked, a bit nervous; she alone had been summoned, but she didn't know to what until she was forced into a luxurious bedroom where the lights had been dimmed; immediately, her imagination took hold of her again, but she forced it away.

"I'm out here, young lady, if you would join me," came the familiar elderly voice from the meeting before.

Nanoha traced it coming from a side room, where an old man sat on the opposite side of a table, a plate of food in front of him. A second plate was in front of an empty chair across from him on her side, and he gestured that she should sit down, which she did. He appeared to easily be about 60 or 70, maybe older, depending on if he had received any anti-aging treatments.

"You wanted to see me?" she ventured, studying the exquisite food, her mouth beginning to water. "Did you decide on my request?"

He merely smiled at her, then reached up and suddenly opened up multiple holographic windows showcasing various pictures of the same person. Nanoha's heart immediately climbed into her chest; they were all pictures of her. More specifically, they were pictures of the first Nanoha; some showcasing her training or sparring with students, and others of her in various poses on promotional material.

The old man smiled. "I thought there might have been a connection; you do look very similar to her. I'm guessing you're a descendant, possibly a granddaughter?"

Nanoha tried to keep her face neutral. "Something like that. How did you know?"

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a badge, sliding it across the table; to her chagrin, Nanoha recognized it. "I was member #2381 of the Nanoha Fan Club. We were all saddened by her death, but didn't realize she had left a child behind, other than the Vivio girl she adopted."

The former idol reddened a bit; the fact that she had a fan club was something she never really learned how to deal with in her past life, but just accepted. The other aces of the Bureau had their own, too, and some openly took advantage of it while others like Nanoha just quietly ignored phenomenon, but didn't speak out against it.

"For various reasons, it was best to keep things quiet," Nanoha answered, while inwardly telling herself that it wasn't a total lie. "Was this why you wanted to see me?"

"The others of the family don't realize who you are, but I just wanted to confirm it," he told her, closing the holographic screens and picking up his fork and knife. "They are younger, and don't remember the days before the Bureau tightened things up. They are content with the current status quo."

"But you feel differently," Nanoha probed, mimicking his motion by grasping her own silverware at his urging.

"Your grandmother and I may have been on opposite sides of the law, but I did respect her," he admitted. "Of course, back in those days, my own father ran the crime family, but we kept things cleaner. There will always be a criminal element, and the Bureau partially recognized that as long as we cooperated in the cases they were working on, they mostly left us unmolested. These days, we practically have to seek approval for everything, and everyone is afraid to step out of line. There is no more love of risk for reward."

Nanoha felt her hopes rising as she cut her steak. "Then have you..."

He nodded, pausing to take a bite and chew it, answering after a swallow. "From what I hear, you have many of your grandmother's spells and techniques. I would love to see you in action personally, to see if you measure up. Most of the others want to turn you in, but I took this risk onto myself, and they allowed me to. They are hoping I mess this up, and then they can pounce. Still, we have to handle this carefully. We'll need a day to spread the word for bets, and you'll need to fight a preliminary match so we can gauge your strength. If you pass, you'll have to fight 7 or 8 matches over the course of a few days."

"Not much time for rest between them?" Nanoha questioned, feeling a bit unsure.

"You're the one who wants to do this quickly, and if you are as strong as the rumors say, then having you fight repeated matches would be the best handicap to make things even," he answered with a wry grin. "And you'll need to fight these matches if you want to qualify before the championship." He paused, eyeing her up and down. "Of course, there is still the other option..."

She took the hint, and politely smiled. "No thanks. I'm a fighter, not a model."

The old man laughed in an almost airy wheezing fashion, then took a drink from his cup. "Suit yourself. Well, better get eating; the rest of your meals won't be as nice, and you'll need your strength."

She began to dig in, oddly finding herself liking this old guy, though the overall atmosphere still made her nervous. Still, there was hope there; she just needed to win a few fights and she could get back to Mid-Childa, hook up with any resistance and prepare them for the coming of the Mariages, and then overthrow Hayate and set everything right again, which might entail time travel; and _that_ was still mostly an unknown process.

[No problem,] she thought wryly. [One step at a time; I just need to handle this first.]

The only kink in that plan, was the fact that Raging Heart was still undergoing self-repair, and she might not be able to use it if it hadn't fixed itself by then; which meant she would have to rely on doing magic herself.

x~~*~~x

"Winner after 28 seconds, Seikou!" came the announcement over the loudspeakers. "She now qualifies for the special exhibition match series in the lead up to the championship match, so be here the next few days and remember to place your bets!"

Nanoha straightened up and wiped her forehead, more for effect than because of any strain. Despite not using Raging Heart, her first opponent went down fairly easily; he couldn't have been more than Rank A and didn't have much of a grasp of tactics. One bind and Divine Buster later, and he was down for the count.

"You did it!" Seikou's new self-appointed manager in the form of a boisterous cyborg cheered, running in and wrapping her arms around Nanoha's neck in an impromptu hug. "Though it didn't seem to be much of a fight."

Nanoha allowed herself to be led out of the arena by the #6 cyborg. "Perhaps, but I was told he was pretty much the bottom of the barrel; the rest of the contestants are much stronger. I'd feel better if I had Raging Heart."

"I may have found someone who can fix it, but it all depends on whether we can find the parts we need," Sein informed her, contagious hope in her voice as they entered a short hallway. "But in the meantime, I managed to secure a low level storage device for you. It's not much, mostly a modified enforcer staff, but you should be able to better regulate your mana with it, and even store a few spells for quick casting. Now all you have to do is win."

"I'll do what I can," Nanoha affirmed with confidence as they exited the hallway and reentered the gambling area. "I-"

She was cut off as a taller, tanned woman bumped into her, but the apology died on her lips upon noticing the glare. "So you're supposed to be Seikou, eh?"

"Yes, I am," Nanoha answered. "And you are...?"

The woman let loose a short derisive laugh. "Zira Rinaldi, current champion of the mage circuit. I don't know who you are, but if you think you can just bust your way into this tournament and take the prize money that rightfully belongs to me, you have another thing coming. I've worked too long and hard for this chance to have some no-name come out of nowhere and steal it. I've personally bested almost every other mage out there, and many of them won't be able to compete ever again. If you know what's good for you, you'll either leave, or lose early."

Nanoha forced her lips into a thin smile. "Well then, best of luck to both of us, then."

Zira snorted, then turned and left, her pony-tail swaying from side to side. Sein and Nanoha's gazes met, their thoughts echoing each other.

This had just become a bit more interesting.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

TOURNAMENT ARC!

Just kidding... mostly. ;p Although I am deliberately pulling from Vivid in the next couple of chapters. By the way, if you have any less-than-savory characters that you want Nanoha to fight, I might be able to fit in a mention, as I won't be detailing all of her fights; just some of them. 'Course, they'll probably get stomped. ;p And I almost had Nanoha say, "I'm a fighter, not a lover" but somehow it didn't quite seem to fit, heh.


	24. Bloodsport

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 24: Bloodsport**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Winner by knockout, the Starlight Destroyer, Seeeeiiiikouuuuuu!"

Nanoha paused to catch her breath, then raised her hands and waved to the cheering crowd as the arena landscape dissolved around her. Much like the old training grounds where she educated the forwards many years ago, the arena used a holographic system to create the terrain the mages fought over. It usually wasn't much; just dirt and rock with the odd cliff or ruined building, but slightly bigger than the one the forwards trained on next to the sea.

This was Nanoha's second fight of the day, although third in total if she counted the qualifying fight a couple days ago, but the difficulty of her opponents was rapidly increasing. Her latest opponent was easily AAA rank in power, and fairly intelligent, but the fact that she used lightning based attacks meant Nanoha was up against magic she was already very familiar with. Her adversary wouldn't have been a problem at all if Nanoha had access to Raging Heart instead of this crude staff storage device, but Raging Heart was still in self-repair mode and the technician Sein had been able to find was still having trouble locating suitable parts. It didn't help that Raging Heart was a highly advanced Intelligent Device, and thus most parts on the market weren't quite up to par.

_"Don't worry, though, because I trust Griez with my life," Sein had said, brimming with confidence. "He performed many repairs on my cyborg parts when I was fighting in the circuit; he's good."_

"Another fine show!" Sein congratulated, coming out with a robe, then grinned wryly "But how long do you want to stand there showing off?"

Nanoha turned to stare at her, then looked down and realized her bust was nearly popping out of her barrier jacket due to damage, and she quickly and gratefully accepted the robe. She sighed, hating the fact that she had to wear this modified outfit; it almost covered less than Fate's Sonic Form. While the base was her standard Aggressive Mode barrier jacket, they made her shed her outer coat as well as the longer skirt portion that hung down from behind her waist. Also, the ribbon up front apparently had to go, and in its place was a heart-shaped opening that revealed a decent amount of cleavage.

_"Advertising!" they had explained gleefully. "A good lookin' woman brings in the crowds, and you need the crowds to make enough bets to earn the money you need, right?"_

[Advertising my butt,] Nanoha thought grimly, both figuratively and literally as her mini-skirt was partially tattered. She didn't consider herself too much of a prude, and in combat she normally didn't care about clothing damage that may expose her; that was part of the risk of mage combat, after all. But somehow it felt a bit different when there was a crowd that was openly leering and hoping to see it.

"Thank you," Nanoha let out with a sigh. "For this, and for everything you've done. If it hadn't of been for your information on my opponent for this match..."

Sein grinned. "That's what I'm here for! Speaking of which, just be glad you don't have _her_ for your manager."

An older-yet-regal looking woman had stomped past them with a glare, pausing above the fallen body of Nanoha's opponent for a moment before kicking it viciously. "Get up, you lazy daughter of mine! I know you're faking it! Apparently I'll have to double and triple your training again, so you don't dishonor the Dahlgren family name like this yet again. Why, back in my day, I made it far higher than you ever did on the tournament ladder..."

"Ow! Cut it out, _MOM_," the younger Dahlgren protested, jumping to her feet. "I'm almost 30 years old now, and don't need you to run my life! Besides, you never made it higher than 4th place; or was it 5th?"

The elder Dahlgren furnished her daughter with a slap, then grabbed the younger woman's ear. "Shut up and come along; don't embarrass me any further!" The mother pulled her daughter towards the arena entrance where Nanoha and Sein had stopped to watch, then paused and shot her daughter's opponent with a glare. "And YOU! Something about you seems familiar, but while you may have won this fight, the Dahlgren 'Thunder Emperor' style will triumph over you next time! Prepare yourself!" She whipped out a fan with her other hand to cover her mouth, laughing as she resumed pulling her daughter along. "Ohohohoho!"

Nanoha stared back at Sein as the laughter receded, then shook her head. "Well, anyway, do you know who my next opponent is and when I have to fight?" The latter was more of a concern to her, as she had to be careful about rationing her mana to handle the ever increasing difficulty of her competitors.

"Yes, but there is something more important you need to see first," Sein announced, leading her down the hall into a private side room and closing the door after, and then bringing up a large screen. "This is the recording from Zira's last fight. As you know, there was a normal tournament in progress and Zira just earned her shot at the finals. You're only being allowed in if you win seven special matches, with your eighth being against the other semifinalist... in this case, Zira."

Nanoha nodded, then sat down in one of the padded chairs. "I figured that much. The championship fight is in three days, which means I have three fights today, three fights tomorrow, and the final fight the day after, with the championship later that evening."

"Right, and I've been trying to get you info on your opponents, who have been mages that washed out of the tournament at various points but took this chance to get another shot by beating you," Sein agreed, then started the recording. "All of Zira's opponents, though, were too badly injured to participate in your exhibition matches, and you're about to see why."

Nanoha turned her attention to the show, which was apparently already midway through. Both Zira and her female opponent looked fairly winded already, but Zira was grinning. She then straightened up and held out her hand, making a thumbs-down motion, which seemed to drive the crowd into a frenzy.

"It looks like it's that time again, folks!" the announcer declared enthusiastically. "Both combatants have put on quite a show, but it appears that Zira Rinaldi has just signaled her opponent's defeat; are we about to see the legendary Triple Smash Finisher? No one has yet been able to counter it, so things don't look too good for her opponent, Miry Hart."

Miry merely scowled and immediately charged in, apparently eager to prove everyone wrong; it was almost a rookie mistake, Nanoha decided, since the woman was allowing her emotions to cloud her judgment by letting Zira bait her. Miry flew low to the ground, but Zira seemed unconcerned while she punched the rocky arena floor. Green spikes shot up from the terrain in a manner Nanoha found most familiar, as if attempting to impale Miry, but the young woman wove through them with ease. With a mighty shout, her glowing blue fist smashed into the last few broad spikes that had formed a wall in front of Zira

"ONE!" the crowd shouted enthusiastically.

As the wall shattered, Nanoha's eyes narrowed while the audience gasped; Zira was no longer there. Instead, she was now floating far above, the spikes continuing to grow, taking up space and forcing Miry higher to avoid them. Yet she continued her assault, flying towards Zira again with glowing fists, but something forced to her stop and put up multiple shields; however, those were sliced up multiple times seconds later and Miry was promptly bound by an almost invisible force.

"TWO!" the legion of onlookers chanted once again.

[Each one of the spikes is emitting an incredibly thin thread-like bind,] Nanoha deduced by the way Miry's limbs and body showcased multiple indentations from the very fine, yet tough filament.

While the challenger screamed in pain from the threads cutting into her skin, Zira blurred towards her opponent and paused right in front of her for a split second before finally drawing the sword attached to her waist and swinging twice in quick succession. The afterimage of an X-shaped magic strike hung in the air for a very short moment. However, Nanoha couldn't get the most disturbing aspect out of her mind:

Miry's wide-eyed sightless stare coupled with her mouth dropping wide open in a soundless scream, as if she was experiencing something absolutely terrifying.

The mob leapt to their feet. "THREE!"

Then it was over, and after a brief pause during which Zira canceled the thread-bind, Miry's body fell helplessly to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Zira was promptly announced to be the winner without even waiting to see if Miry would get up; apparently it was obvious to all that she wouldn't. Sein picked that moment to pause the recording.

"What happened?" Nanoha wondered aloud, perplexed. "An attack like that shouldn't have taken her out; at best, her auto-barrier and barrier jacket would have absorbed most of the damage."

Sein rewound the video to the moment just before impact. "That's what I thought, too. But look closely at what happens just before Zira's strike."

She zoomed the camera view in, then let it go forward in slow motion again. While it was a bit blurry, Nanoha watched as a strange, yet familiar, green portal appeared on Miry's chest a split second before the attack hit... and a hand emerge from it holding a small glowing object: Miry's linker core. Shifting her vision, Nanoha realized that, while Zira was pulling her sword out with her right hand, her left hand had sunk wrist deep into an identical green portal.

Nanoha stared at Sein. "The attack... Zira temporarily removed Miry's linker core, preventing her from using magic to shield herself at all, and the force waves struck it directly. There's no telling what kind of damage was done; Miry will be lucky if she can even use most of her magic!"

"It took me several viewings to catch that," the cyborg admitted, all traces of humor gone from her voice. "This isn't the DSAA; there is a reason these fights are technically illegal, because anything goes. There are no rules, other than the winner is the last one standing."

Nanoha reflexively raised a hand to her chest, remembering the maddening pain of when her own linker core was temporarily removed from her body. It was only through sheer force of will driven by the fact that her friends were counting on her that she managed to finish her Starlight Breaker at all. In fact, if she hadn't prepared the spell in advance, nor had Raging Heart primed to release it, she probably couldn't have pulled it off at all.

"If you face her, you can't let her get close, and you have to keep on the move," Sein explained, more serious that Nanoha had ever seen the nun. "What I showed you was just the ending, but Zira also assaults her enemy's linker core multiple times throughout the fight, usually to paralyze the target before a strike. Also, figuring she was going to be your opponent, I took the liberty of having Tony dig up some data on her. I found out who her mother was, and more importantly, the people who trained her mother and thus most likely passed those techniques down to her; but you can probably already guess."

Sein tossed a datapad onto the table beside Nanoha, who picked it up and scanned the contents; just as she feared, her suspicions were correct.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha wrapped a towel around her body as she stepped out of the showers in the mostly empty girl's locker room. She had just finished her third and final fight, and it hadn't exactly been a cake walk. She wasn't exactly going into the fight fresh, and her opponent this time had managed to land several painful attacks; apparently, these tournament fighters hadn't learned the meaning of stun magic.

Sein had left to investigate some things, but Nanoha wasn't worried; the cyborg could take care of herself. Not only due to her own IS abilities, but the fact that she was much more experienced in this world that Nanoha was. That point stood out even more starkly when she found her competition waiting for her at her locker, and the look in those eyes promised it wouldn't be a pleasant chat; for a moment, Nanoha even thought the woman would attack her.

"Impressive performance you put on out there," Zira commented neutrally, tanned arms crossed against her smallish chest that denoted an athlete. "Adaptive binds to suit the situation, and then a powerful knockout blow."

Nanoha didn't bat an eye as she opened her locker to get her clothes. "You, too. I saw your last fight."

"I have a lifetime career of 63 wins and 2 losses," Zira informed her, and Nanoha got the impression it wasn't an idle boast. "I've had to work my way up from the bottom of the dregs, and I won't let anyone take away the prize that is rightfully mine. If you want to fight a few more times, that's up to you. But if you've seen my match, then you know what happens to those that stand against me. If you promise to lose, I won't injure you... too badly."

Nanoha finally turned and met the other woman's harsh gaze with a sympathetic and understanding one. "It's very clear that you intend to win. But why is it so important to you?"

Zira clearly hadn't been expecting that question, but her short moment of surprise quickly passed to be replaced by anger as she slammed a fist against the lockers. "That's not something you need to know. The important thing is that you either step down or get hurt. It's up to you."

"I do know one other thing, however," Nanoha revealed calmly. "The magic spells you used are dangerous; they were intended for a horrible purpose, and misusing them to harm people wouldn't be something the original owners of those techniques would approve of."

The taller woman laughed derisively. "What would you know about it?"

"Do the names 'Zafira' and 'Shamal' mean anything to you or your mother?" Nanoha questioned, noting instantly by Zira's widened eyes that she was correct after all. "I'm even guessing you were named after your mother's teacher."

Zira's face went through an interesting mix of interesting emotions, most prominent being anger and annoyance. "I don't care what you know; I use my magic the way I want. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is dropping out of this tournament before something bad happens to you. Think about it."

She turned on her heel and strode out after that while Nanoha watched her go, noting that there seemed to be something more behind the tough facade, but couldn't figure out what; Zira almost seemed too desperate. She glanced down at the clothes in her locker and began to get dressed, wondering what it was that drove the woman, but the reasons why still eluded her.

x~~*~~x

Fate wandered into the device lab, noticing the two identical triangles, one gold and one light blue, floating in individual containers. She paid more attention to the gold one, feeling a bit relieved that it appeared to be whole, lacking the cracks and missing chunks it had when she saw it several days ago. The sight also triggered a pang in her heart.

"I'm sorry, Bardiche," she spoke softly, words filled with regret. "You were hurt because you were protecting me, because I fought with Nanoha."

"Ah, you're here," Mariel's voice came from a side room, the head scientist entering the room shortly thereafter. "We've done as much as we could for Bardiche, but there were a few unresolvable errors that necessitated wiping of data and installation of new code and parts. It won't be quite the same, and I feel it's at the end of it's productive life. You can still use it, but it won't be able to keep up in serious combat. However, the new device next to it, codenamed 'Vulnificus' has been built from the ground up to accommodate your full powers. It's up to you as to which one to take."

Fate glanced back and forth between the two; if she fought Nanoha again, it was obvious she wouldn't be able to win with Bardiche alone, but she was reluctant to toss aside the friend she had fought with all these years. Yet, if she did take Bardiche again, she'd be admitting that she couldn't fight Nanoha, and thus turning her back on 50 years of choices that led her to this point.

"I couldn't..." Fate found herself whispering, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Well, it's up to you, but you have to be careful to use the right tools for the job or you could find them failing you in a critical moment, and I'm sure neither one of us wants that," Mariel stated, right before a chime sounded from the next room."Oh, excuse me, I have to handle something, but I'll be back in a bit. Take your time."

Fate glanced up as the woman left, feeling an odd chill. [Something...] She immediately dismissed the thought even before it formed, and returned to her earlier dilemma, wrestling with the choice before her. [Why did we have to fight, though? Why couldn't we work things out? Why couldn't Nanoha see that she was on the wrong side? I'm not wrong! The Bureau has done a lot of good, and you're threatening to undo all that!]

_"Too many individual freedoms have been lost by the Bureau forcing it's will on the people."_

[It's for their own good!] Fate countered against Nanoha's voice in her head, almost hating herself for taking this position, but she didn't know why.

_"Have you been out there yourself, and really seen what things are like? Not as an Enforcer Commander, but as a normal person."_

At that time, Fate avoided the question. [What would being out there as a normal person prove? I've been out plenty of times; I know how things are. It's a bit rough, but things will get better.]

She shook her head; somehow, it didn't seem as convincing as it once did. She gazed at the two devices, her heart and mind in conflict; she knew the logical choice was to take the new device so she could be at her best. No matter what she felt, she couldn't let emotions sway her decision; that was why she could fight Nanoha. That's why Nanoha could fight her. Her hand reached out to grab her choice, but then paused for unknown reasons.

[Why?] Fate questioned, distressed at her trembling hand. [It's a simple choice! The same ones I've made all this time!]

Almost growling, she made her decision, and then turned and left the room quickly.

"Fate, I'm..." Mariel's voice trailed off as she came back and saw the room was empty, then her lips turned upwards into a smile when she noticed the device containers.

Both of them were empty.

x~~*~~x

[Another day...] Nanoha thought to herself as she dodged a hail of magical bullets from her crazed adversary. [Another fight.] He was her first one today, the fourth in her series of special matches to qualify for the championship match, and after a good night's sleep, she was ready for more.

As she twisted through the air, expertly dodging most of them and shielding against the rest, she contented herself with letting her opponent burn through his mana while conserving as much of her own as possible; she needed to make it last throughout the day. It helped that the tactic was popular with the crowds, as it lengthened the fight, drawing the conclusion out. Her handlers were quite pleased at the increased entertainment factor, too.

However, she couldn't say the same about her current opponent.

"Playing hard to get, bay-bee?" he taunted, pausing in the air and licking his lips while continuing to pelt Nanoha with magical rain in an almost machine-gun-like fashion. "Ooh, I like it when they struggle!"

Nanoha sighed while dodging behind some rocky outcroppings for a moment's peace, trying to shove his visual appearance out of her mind; nose rings, earrings, lips rings, a mohawk, facial paint, spiked shoulder pads... His "post-apocalyptic biker" look was quite distinctive, but according to Sein, this guy who went by the moniker "Chuckles" was more notorious for his... ways with women. Already he had spent most of the match detailing what he planned to do to her unconscious body, if it was still in one piece that is; or at least if there was enough of the right pieces still intact. Nanoha didn't let the psychological warfare tactics faze her, though; it probably worked on some of his female opponents, but not on her.

However, there were other aspects of his that did present a problem, most notably the ball and chain that was his Armed Device; no sooner had Nanoha put the several meter thick rock between her and her opponent, then it was instantly shattered by a large metal ball covered with short spikes. It rammed her right side and pushed through two other rock formations, and when she finally came to a stop, the spiked ball erupted with dozens of magic shots at point blank range before finally retreating on it's expandable chain. Nanoha pulled herself upright, stumbling a bit as pain shot through her side; the attack apparently had barrier penetrating qualities, and thus she had taken an almost-full blow to her body.

Chuckles feigned confusion. "What's the matter, bay-bee? Was I too rough for you?"

However, Nanoha judged she had learned enough now, and pointed the basic staff weapon at him. "If you like it rough, I can oblige."

His leering grin reappeared as Nanoha prepared an Axel Shooter volley, which he answered with one of his own. Carefully controlling them to shoot down each one of his shots, she stood her ground and fired a Divine Buster immediately after. As expected, his swung his weapon straight at it, sending it right down Nanoha's beam and dispersing the attack.

"I thought you learned earlier that doesn't wor...huh?" Chuckles started to say, his ever-present grin suddenly fading.

Nanoha had ceased firing and dodged just enough that the steel ball whizzed passed her, then jammed her staff down on the chain, pinning it to the rocky ground with both of the staff's prongs. There was bind magic in her move, so despite him frantically tugging on it, the weapon wouldn't return. Nanoha raised her right hand, pink magic swirling around her wrist.

"This particular spell is great for cooling the heads of those who get too worked up," she stated evenly as she fired the first volley of her own Crossfire Shoot.

Chuckles tried to drop his weapon, but immediately discovered that Nanoha's bind spell had worked itself up the chain and now held his wrist firmly in place. His eyes widened in shock a second before Nanoha's attack hit his hastily formed shield, followed closely by a second shot from the index finger on her left hand. The shield and bind spells eventually broke as Nanoha continued, alternating shots from each finger, batting the now helpless opponent around like a pinball. As he slammed into the shields encasing the arena, Nanoha pulled the staff back out, took aim, and finished it with another Divine Buster then sent her opponent to dreamland. Chuckles dropped like a rock, but Nanoha took a bit of pity on him and slowed his descent with a floater field.

The crowd let loose a mighty cheer as the announcer's voice, normally muted to the combatants during a match, finally echoed through the arena now that the match was over. "Once again, a stunning display of power and skill by Seikou! Be here in two hours, for her next match, folks. Will she triumph over the deadly Togu? Or will this be the end of the Starlight Destroyer's rise? Tune in and see!"

Nanoha glanced around, noting that Sein normally came out at this time, but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, after waving to the crowd, Nanoha headed back to the woman's locker room to freshen up and recover before the next match, but paused just outside upon hearing voices within.

"...you think you're doing?" Zira's voice rang out. "Just because you're my manager, doesn't mean you can stalk me in here!"

"And here I thought we were so much more to each other," the man replied in an almost fake-sounding suave manner. "After all, we-"

Zira cut him off, irately responding, "That was then! I told you I'm just doing this last tournament for the prize money, and no more!"

"You still using that lame crap reason about paying for your daughter's operation?" her manager questioned with disbelief. "You should get rid of the runt-"

A sharp slapping sound echoed into the hallway.

"OUR daughter, Grenn!" Zira yelled angrily. "But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at that attitude. It's your fault she's like that. One more fight, this championship, and I'm done! Now get OUT!"

The sound of steps gradually grew in volume indicating that one of them was heading towards the exit, which turned about to be the manager, Grenn, but he paused and spoke again before reaching the exit. "You NEED me, Zira! Who else do you think is going to protect and hide you from the Bureau? You leave, and neither you nor your daughter will be safe. Think about that!"

Nanoha quickly hopped up and plastered herself to the hallway ceiling while the manager exited the locker room and strode down the hall, glad that he hadn't glanced up. She landed and entered, inwardly debating on what to say to Zira, but didn't get the chance; she nearly ran into the woman upon turning a corner of lockers.

"Out of my way!" Zira groused, shoving Nanoha aside aside as she pushed past.

"Zira, I-" Nanoha started to say, but the other woman ignored her and was soon gone.

Spirits dropping, Nanoha walked back to her locker to get dressed, realizing that the situation had just become much more complicated, and she wasn't sure what to do about it.

x~~*~~x

Givo yawned and attempted to stretch in his small hiding place within a wall, and then glanced back at the monitor that was tapped into the surveillance system, but noting that Quattro was still in her quarters following her normal routine of reading before bed. He didn't really need to do this, as his own magical senses would tell him which direction the cyborg was in, but watching might also give him a clue as to what she was up to.

Unfortunately, there had been nothing out of the ordinary ever since he had started following her several days ago. She'd get up and make her rounds, talking to various department heads or otherwise playing around in her lab, before heading back to bed. He was beginning to doubt she was up to anything at all, but the deal he had with Teana could free Layla and the other prisoners as well as himself, so it was a shot he had to take. If nothing else, he might be able to learn enough of the system to free them himself.

[Maybe I should just escape myself; I could probably manage,] he had often thought to himself, almost preferring the lone wolf attitude he had been developing. But Layla had been kind to him, and he felt a bit guilty about leaving them behind, so the least he could do was try this.

After focusing his senses, he did a double-take at the monitor, but Quattro was still shown sitting on the couch reading a magazine. However, his magical sense clearly indicated that her position had shifted; what was going on? Was this how she tricked everyone else, by somehow manipulating the surveillance feed? He didn't know, but he quickly extricated himself from his hole in the wall and sprinted down past her quarters, following his senses.

Quattro was descending now, so he found an elevator and took it down, weaving through hallways once he reached the bottom. After several minutes of pursuit closing in on his target, he heard three low distinctive tones, and then turned a corner to find Quattro passing through a dead end at the far terminus of the hall. He waited for her to fully pass through, then tiptoed up to do the same, but only found a very solid wall obstructing his path.

[A secret room, obviously, but there has to be some trick for entry,] he deduced, running his hands across the cool, smooth metal plate of the dead end, but nothing stood out. [Those tones... perhaps some kind of trigger? Did she have a secret device with her that allows access to the hidden room?] He couldn't rule it out, which made it all the more frustrating; how was he supposed to pursue her if he didn't have the same device? Did he have to give up and get Teana involved? He decided against that; that woman wanted proof, and Givo needed the evidence to free Layla and the others. [Three tones...]

He paused, glancing at the lights attached to the sides of the hallways and was struck by the number; there were three on each side. Curious, he reached up and touched one, surprised when it made a sound much like a musical note that lasted for several seconds. Confirming his forming hunch, he tapped the other five, also getting a different note from each one. A slow smile spread across his face, and recalling what he heard, he was able to find the correct three and then touch the wall, grin growing wider as his hand passed through.

[Bingo!] he thought in jubilation as he quickly phased through. [The tones must trigger the wall to become non-solid.] It also apparently blocked sound, for once he was through, he began to hear voices.

"...adjust the y-factor by 0.023%," a male voice was saying, as Givo carefully moved close in the darkness, trying to avoid looking at the naked floating women in the yellow tubes and instead crouching down behind the boxes of some computer equipment. "Now then, shall we try this again? Unless you'd like to be more cooperative now."

Givo could see the speaker, but not who that person was addressing.

"By all means, don't let me keep you from your work," came a lighter male voice in response.

x~~*~~x

"I truly do regret this," Jail admitted with a note of false regret in his tone. "We're all scientists here of one type or another; we should be able to have a conversation about such topics. It's only the sharing of ideas that science progresses."

"Maybe some other time," Yuuno replied drily, his wrists and ankles still clamped to the hi-tech chair and a helmet covering his head. "You've done enough playing with science, between clones and cyborgs. Some things man shouldn't attempt to play with."

"And yet you are planning to do so," the doctor accused, grinning when his point hit the mark. "Quite hypocritical. Ah well, the devices I have created to download information from cyborg brains only needs a few more adjustments before I can make it work on human brains. If this fails, I can still make a cyborg clone of you to get the information I seek, or even create a unison device that can take over your mind and body. However, both of those options will take considerably longer."

"My heart bleeds," Yuuno retorted drily. "This may sound cliche, but you won't get away with this. Your predecessor failed, too, despite all his planning. Although I am a bit surprised that you were even using him."

The doctor shrugged. "What can I say? He must have become frail in his old age, having given up taking control and seeking to somehow amend for past actions. I won't make the same mistakes. I've debated going back in time to take his place to keep the Cradle and the key, but that would be quite the literal Grandfather Paradox, wouldn't it? Hahaha!"

Yuuno resisted the urge to join in laughing at Jail's little joke, but before he could respond, something else got their attention.

"Hey, let mmmm!"

Quattro appeared from behind a computer rack, cyborg arms firmly holding a struggling young boy, a hand clamped over his mouth. "Look what I found! I apologize, Doctor, I didn't think anyone followed me."

"Hmm, interesting, who do we have here?" Jail wondered, turning his attention to the pair. "Some stray rat? I don't recognize him."

In the next instant, white binds snapped into place around Quattro's body. "Hey, you little ru-OW!"

As he slipped out of the cyborg's grasp, he turned on his heel and smacked her in the face with a magical bullet, knocking her into Due, and then bolted from the room as the two women went down in a tangle of arms and legs.

"I'll kill him!" Quattro growled as Due disentangled herself from her sister and destroyed the binds with her claws.

"I'd like him alive if possible, to find out who he is with and what he knows!" Jail ordered as his two cyborgs took off in pursuit.

"I can't promise anything!" came Quattro's echoing voice.

Jail sighed, and then turned back to Yuuno. "Kids these days; what can you do? Now where were we..."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha winced as her opponent's weapon, a three-section nunchuck, smacked against her sore right side, still tender from her clash with Chuckles. But she grit her teeth through the pain and clamped her arm down on it, trapping the weapon. In return, the lean and well-muscled martial artist began to spin on his left foot, bringing his right up to kick her away; however, Nanoha was hugging her staff under her left arm with a firm grip, thrusting it up against his stomach. The kick painfully struck her left arm at the same instant she fired.

"Divine Buster!" she managed to shout, the two adversaries being flung away from each other through different means.

Nanoha was disheartened to see her current challenger, the highly skilled martial artist mage Togu, stand up again and lightly brush the dust off his body, seemingly unhurt, while she was inwardly battling the pain as she regained her own feet. In addition to his quick movements, he had a keen eye for weaknesses and had already identified Nanoha's right side as one, making it a point to strike there repeatedly.

And for once, Nanoha found herself distracted enough that her opponent was managing to work through her guard; she had allowed her mind to drift again, and it had cost her. Better than anyone else, she knew the dangers of letting the mind get unfocused during combat; it was something she had drilled into her students often enough.

But she couldn't get that conversation out of her head, the one she overheard between Zira and Grenn. However, knowing what the other woman was fighting for now didn't do her a lot of good, since she hadn't had a chance to talk to her, nor figure out exactly what to do about it. Zira wanted to win to get the prize money for her daughter's treatment, but Nanoha needed to win to procure transport back to Mid-Childa. She had considered dropping out or losing and trying again, but the next tournament was months away, which would be too late.

The only other option, almost unmentionable, made her skin crawl.

"So you do feel pain," Togu stated, his tone indicating satisfied curiosity. "It seems the rumors of your near-invincibility were greatly exaggerated. I, however, have trained myself to ignore pain, and thus can fight past my limits, far beyond any normal human."

"Feeling pain is a good thing; it lets us know we're alive, and reminds us our limits are there for a reason," Nanoha replied evenly, bracing her legs and pointing her staff. "They shouldn't be broken for minor things. It seems like I have another lesson to give in regards to overdoing it."

[Although I might have to overdo it a little myself,] Nanoha added silently to herself, hoping her staff could take the extra magic she'd need to force it to regulate. [Even though I wanted to conserve as much mana as possible for my third fight today. I really could have used some more info from Sein before this fight; the little bit she left for this guy isn't much.]

Togu shook his head, making a show of twirling his weapon around his body before assuming his own attack stance, a small smile on his face. "I had a feeling you were holding back, but you will have to face me at your full strength, if you want a chance to defeat me!"

Nanoha gripped her staff tighter, clearing her mind and beginning the preparations for what she had to do next. "As you wish," she replied, leaping into the sky and firing off a large volley of magic orbs.

He appeared calm as he launched into the air straight at her, whipping his weapon around to smack most of the missiles, but the rest exploded near him into a mass of binding chains. Nanoha kept her firing rate up, smacking him with shot after shot that seemingly had no effect, before winding up her next spell.

"Strike Stars!" She cried, a large beam accompanied the next salvo of orbs that drove him into the ground and cratering it upon impact, while a couple of cracks appeared on the staff as it struggled to keep up under the strain of all the mana being forced through it.

"I... will not..." he sputtered, amazingly trying to rise once more, but Nanoha released a second Divine Buster while flying straight down at him.

And then a second. And a third. And a fourth, before finally landing next to him and whacking him across the back of the head, which finally did the trick.

"Winner by knockout once more, the Starlight Destroyer, Seeeeiiiikouuuuuu!"

Nanoha blew out a breath and waved, then headed towards the arena exit expecting to find Sein, but discovering someone else instead; a man in a suit, eyes hidden by shades, who was smiling lightly at her. She recognized him as one of her handlers.

"Keep your seats for the short intermission, folks!" the announcer continued on he loudspeakers as she reached him. "Seikou's next fight will be in 15 minutes!"

Nanoha spun to face the man, the aches in her body protesting. "What? My last fight was supposed to be later this evening! Where's my manager?"

"She's busy on assignment," he told her with a sneer. "And the deal was for you to fight three times today; it didn't say when. Of course, you can always drop out now..."

Nanoha grit her teeth and resisted the urge to blast him; she had counted having at least a few hours to rest and recuperate her mana between matches, but it felt like they pushed up this fight so she would be even more disadvantaged. "Fine."

She'd just have to get through it, but where was Sein?

x~~*~~x

The cyborg glanced up, feeling a slight chill, which was odd because it wasn't particularly chilly and her body regulated heat well enough that she was rarely, if ever, cold. [I really hate leaving Nanoha without a word like this. But she should be okay without me.]

"Sein?" came the voice over her ear communicator. "Everyone else is in place."

The #6 cyborg shook her head. "I'm ready, beginning the operation now."

As she dove for the wall, her Deep Diver IS activating almost automatically, she hoped Nanoha was alright.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha inwardly cursed as the thorny whips left more scrapes and lacerations across her body, executing a second Flash Move to back out of range. But she was left bewildered at how Rose, her third and final opponent for the day, had managed to so accurately trace her first Flash Move; no sooner had she appeared behind her adversary, then the whips were there, almost moving of their own accord to seek her out.

"Everyone admires the beauty of the Rose, but few can withstand its thorns," her pink-haired opponent declared, working her twin whips in circles. "None can get past my perfect defense."

Nanoha wiped the blood from a scratch on her cheek and gripped her staff tighter, trying to figure out Rose's secret. Like the other woman had just taunted, those twin whips were simultaneously functioning as both offense and defense; Rose expertly used them to disperse long-range magic attacks like Nanoha's Axel Shooter bullets and her Divine Buster beam, while also preventing her from getting close for a melee strike. It was much like Levantein's snakeform times two.

[If only I had Raging Heart, I could pump enough mana through spells to break through her defenses,] Nanoha cursed inwardly, beginning to pant heavily. [I need to do something about those whips. And I can't let this go on; I've used up too much mana today already.] She winced and held her right side, welcoming the dull throbbing of pain that had been antagonized greatly last fight; she'd only begin to worry when she could no longer feel that section of her body. [But I need to get past her defenses with what I have left. Maybe...]

Rose smirked and shook her head when Nanoha charged straight for her. "Don't you ever learn? You can't reach me!"

Nanoha fired several shots which she guided to come in at varying angles, and as expected, Rose expertly twirled her long whips to strike each bullet. As the distance closed and the whips changed direction to come straight for her, Nanoha switched spells.

"Sacred Cluster!" she called, firing a volley into the small openings.

True to form, the whips changed course smashed the new bullets and then snared Nanoha's arms and legs. However, Rose was caught off-guard when the fractured pieces of the supposedly destroyed bullets homed in on her from close range, where they detonated.

"Bitch!" Rose spat, managing to hold onto Nanoha with her whips despite the attack tearing gashes in her barrier jacket.

She promptly slammed her captured quarry against the arena shields and then down onto the rocky floor, kicking up a large amount of dust that obscured each combatant's view of the other. Rose tugged on her lashes to pull Nanoha back up for another few rounds, but was puzzled when they held fast.

Spots appeared in Nanoha's vision while a red stain slowly spread along her right gloved hand, but she had managed to hold onto both thorny whips with it. Her feet were braced horizontally against a large section of rock, providing the brace against Rose's attempts to pull her whips back up.

Nanoha took aim and fired. "Divine Buster!"

While neither one could see the other due to the dust smokescreen, Nanoha could trace her aim in the direction the taunt whips were coming from. Rose was barely able to put up a shield in time, although, the force of the beam's impact began rending parts of her barrier jacket. Still, her defenses held and she managed to slip her whips out of her enemy's hand by retracting the thorns as Nanoha's spell died down.

Nnaoha pulled herself from her crater, albeit with some difficulty, and shook her head to clear the spots in her vision, wondering what would she could do next. She had managed to hit her opponent finally, but Rose probably wouldn't fall for the same trick twice and Nanoha was beginning to run critically low on mana from the day's nearly continuous fights; she needed a way to work past those whips, and she doubted either tactic she had just employed would work again. Gazing at the gashes on her right hand, she wasn't sure she could use that second method again.

The spots were taking longer to vanish, and suddenly Nanoha realized they weren't due to the effects of the recent impact; she was actually seeing hundreds of incredibly tiny magical spheres, highlighted by the dissipating dust, but they were quickly fading from view again as the smokescreen did. That was how Rose was so expertly anticipating her, Nanoha discovered; a distributed search spell covering the entire area, functioning as sort of a sixth sense by instantly relaying up to the millisecond information on opponent and spell locations.

There were gasps from the audience as the dust cloud began to fade and Nanoha walked out of it, steeling herself to appear unfazed by the numerous gashes over her arms and legs; Rose in particular was taken back, visibly gritting her teeth in frustration. "You need to learn when to lay down and die!"

"I've been dead once," Nanoha commented evenly, leaping back into the sky and meeting Rose's shocked gaze with a haunting look. "You've put up a decent fight, but it's over now; your last attack told me everything I needed to know." To Rose's widening eyes, Nanoha pointed her staff straight down. "Divine Buster!"

Before Rose could figure out what was going on, Nanoha walked her beam around the arena floor, kicking up an even larger cloud of dust and debris once more that obscured the entire arena. Rose immediately snapped her long range whips at Nanoha's previous location, but the woman was already gone.

"This cheap trick won't stop me!" she cried, going into a spin, her whips flailing outward like a fan, blowing all the dust against the arena shields. "Now where are... above!" [How did she create a spell that big? No wait... she's sucking my magical pollen sensor net up into that thing!]

"It's time I show you exactly why I have my nickname," Nanoha declared from behind the large ball of pink magic at the very top of the arena. "Let's see your perfect defense deal with this! Starlight... BREAKER!"

Rose instantly sent both whips up, spiraling in a drill like fashion against the onslaught of magic, but the action was simply overwhelmed and even Rose's hastily formed shields were rapidly destroyed, one after another. The attack finally engulfed the panicking woman, overwhelming her consciousness. The silence was deafening in the aftermath, the entire stadium stunned in response to the sheer display of magical power, as Nanoha managed to catch her unconscious and plummeting adversary. Gently, she laid Rose down on the ground, then stood and raised her heavily cracked and splintered staff above her head.

After a considerably delayed moment, the crowd erupted into a massive cheer.

x~~*~~x

"Nanoha!" Sein called, running up to the arena entryway, but her enthusiasm dying when she caught sight of the look in the approaching woman's eyes. "I'm sorry for not being here, but I thought you could... Nanoha?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll need to ask for your assistance," the mage combatant stated in a tired voice, a very small smile on her face, perhaps in satisfaction of making it out of the arena on her own two feet.

Before Sein could question it, Nanoha's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fell into the cyborg's arms. "Nanoha!"

Sein began to berate herself for not being here, a sickening feeling forming in her gut as she, shocked at the woman's general haggard appearance. The heavily cracked staff slipped out of Nanoha's grasp and clattered to the floor, while blood leaked from her lip and right hand and similar gashes marred her limbs, but that wasn't what bothered Sein the most.

What worried her more, was the deepening purplish discoloration spreading along the mage's right side, just visible under the large tears rending her barrier jacket.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Fans of Stargate: Atlantis may have caught the reference up there. I do loves me my Stargate references, heh. Also, first use of Victoria Dahlgren in a fanfic (and possibly Rinaldi, too :D)! Mwahahahaha! Actually added in after the fact just because of Dezo. ;p One thing that amuses me about this fic, is how I keep trying to add the latest from Force and Vivid chapters as soon as I have information, heh. I don't really need to, but I find it fun to see what I can fit in.^^


	25. Extrication, Part 1

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 25: Extrication, Part 1**

Xx~~*~~xX

When Nanoha's finally opened her eyes, she was met with the very worried face of her cyborg manager, and then managed to groan out, "My head... what time is it?"

"You've been out cold all night," Sein informed her, and then sighed while sitting down on the bed. "You had me worried there for awhile; you're pushing yourself too hard for this. You need to take it easier if you want to..."

Nanoha tried to sit up, wincing a bit at the pain. "No choice. I have to win these fights."

"Hey, careful!" Sein warned, reaching out to brace the wounded woman. "You need as much rest as you can get. Your next fight isn't until noon, although I'm beginning to think we should find a different way." She shook her head slowly. "I heard that they moved your fight up; it was a dirty move. But because of that, the old man sent his personal healer mage to help treat you; you're lucky he's a part of your fan club. However, due to his help, the worst of it has been dealt with, although you'll still have some pain and stiffness for awhile. Still, if you keep this pace... well, I'll go get you some food."

Despite her condition, Nanoha detected something in Sein's voice. "What do you mean 'if I keep this pace'?"

Sein stood up and faced away, blowing out a reluctant breath. "I'm not entirely sure myself, but it was just a thought I had while you were unconscious. How much do you know about Jail's cloning process?"

Nanoha's brow furrowed as she thought about it. "I'm not a scientist, so I don't know the details. If I recall correctly, he learned the initial techniques from another scientist, but didn't have much luck until Precia made the process stable. He made Zest, and then later made... me." Nanoha stared at Sein with wide eyes while the implications sunk in.

The cyborg nun's expression was filled with sympathy. "I'm not totally sure myself, as I'm not a scientist either. But from what I remember, even after Precia greatly improved the process, she didn't make an exact copy, and an exact copy is what the doctor ultimately wanted. So there are two types of clones we know of: a non-exact copy who ends up with quite a few differences, and-"

"And an exact copy that doesn't live as long," Nanoha finished the thought, head lowering as she studied her hands. "Which is what I could be, and if so, I don't know how much time I could have left. I thought it was just because I had three strenuous fights yesterday and the injuries I sustained during them, but..."

Sein leaned over and gently placed a hand on the clone's shoulder. "I could be wrong, and he could have improved the process between then and now; after all, before the TSAB intervened, all of us cyborgs were supposed to give birth to an exact copy of Jail in the event he died. But I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind; if you are like Zest, then every time you use your magic, you hasten your body's breakdown. It could be weeks or months before it finally gives out. Then again, you could have years, but that was why I was concerned about you continuing."

"I may not have much choice anyway," Nanoha stated, picking up the heavily cracked and splintered staff she had been using. "I doubt this thing can last another fight, especially on the level I've been using it on. That Starlight Breaker horribly damaged it."

Sein crossed the room, picked something up off a dresser, and then tossed the small object her way. "I was going to save this for a surprise later, but I suppose I can give it to you now. Sorry I wasn't available yesterday, but I was out on a mission in order to get some parts for it."

Nanoha caught it easily, and then stared at the red jewel in her hand. "Raging Heart! You got it fixed?"

"Not entirely," Sein admitted with a sigh. "But we don't have a choice, since you need a device for your last two fights, which will be harder than the ones you've had so far. It's functional, but you'll have to avoid going too extreme with it, as the frame will still need some reinforcement and some of the parts are substandard. Still, it should work much better than the storage device you were using."

"Thank you," Nanoha replied, clenching her hand tightly around it, then looked up as another thought occurred to her. "Do you have any information on my final opponent, the one before Zira?"

"Yes, and I'll tell you about her, but only after you eat," the cyborg informed her, back in full manager mode. "We'll talk then as well; I have some more things to tell you."

"Me, too," Nanoha replied softly, her thoughts drifting back to Zira as Sein left the room.

x~~*~~x

Teana paused as she reached out to tap her code into the door panel; the casing of the keypad appeared a bit loose. Narrowing her eyes, the Director of Homeworld Security entered her code and pulled out Cross Mirage while the door swung open. She flicked the light on while slowly entering, training her gun around and trying to notice anything else out of place.

"It's me!" came a familiar hushed voice as a pair of eyes popped up from behind her desk.

"Givo!" Teana blurted in surprise, lowering her gun as the door swished closed behind her. "I nearly took your head off; what are you doing?"

"I had to sneak in without anyone noticing," he replied, standing up. "I found out where she's been going, but they discovered me and so I've been running and hiding since yesterday!"

Teana stared in disbelief, returning Cross Mirage to card form and slipping it back into her pocket. "Well, what did you find! Let me know where it is, and I'll organize some Enforcers to jump on it, while taking her into custody."

He stepped back as she sat down and opened her terminal, beginning to tap away. "What about the prisoners? You said you'd release them!"

"As soon as you tell me what you learned, and if I can get Wendi off with it, I'll work to get your rebel friends out," she told him gruffly, short on patience. "I told you it wasn't going to be easy, but that I'd do my best. Now, tell me what you learned, quick! If she knows you're onto her, she'll shift her plans quickly to a backup, so we have to move fast."

Givo was silent a moment, and then sighed and leaned over to indicate a spot on the wall map. "Here. There is a fake wall at the end of the corridor, and behind it is a bunch of hi-tech computer stuff and funny yellow glowing jars. There's a weird guy down there who has another guy captive, and another woman working for him."

Teana paused, her brow furrowing. "Weird guy? Can you describe him?"

"He's got-" Givo started to say, but the words died on his lips as the door swished open and several Enforcers filled the room, followed by a certain cyborg.

"Quattro!" Teana nearly growled, leaping to her feet. "It's over now, we have evidence against you. Enforcers, arrest her."

Quattro merely smiled when they didn't move, waiting as someone else came out from behind her and answered, "Enforcers in the capital answer to me. I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, Director Teana Nakajima. You're under arrest on suspicion of treason."

"Fate," Teana spoke the name evenly, her eyes narrowing. "I know we have our differences, but I didn't think you'd take orders from Quattro. The one you should be arresting is next to you; she's working with others and framing people like my sisters!"

Quattro's grin's became even wider, if possible, and tapped a button on a small device. _"As soon as you tell me what you learned, and if I can get Wendi off with it, I'll work to get your rebel friends out."_

Teana paled as her own voice came across in the recording, and then pivoted to glare at Givo. "You let them put a bug on you, and then lead them straight back here!"

Givo's turned his own disbelieving stare to the cyborg with the cheshire-cat-like smile. "You... when you grabbed me, you must have..."

"As you can see, I have no choice but to put you under arrest," Fate repeated calmly. "Please hand over your device and surrender peacefully." She gestured to the line of troops between her and Teana. "Enforcers, you have permission to use deadly force if she resists in any way."

"So you are going through with this," Teana growled as she warily eyed the slowly-approaching Enforcers creeping around her large desk. "I should have figured that eventually you'd come for me, ever since you started with Cinque. But it won't be that easy."

"Enforcers, arrest her now!" Fate suddenly demanded, to which Teana responded by grabbing Givo and putting him in front of her while stepping back.

"Didn't think you were up to using a child as a human shield, Director," Quattro teased, amused. "I don't think Hayate would approve... or maybe she would..."

Teana grinned, teeth showing. "We'll find out, won't we?"

In the next instant, the floor opened up under Teana and Givo, and the darkness swallowed them up.

x~~*~~x

"Are you ready?" Sein asked as the pair approached the arena for Nanoha's final fight before the tournament championship.

"Yes, but I'm still not sure what to do about Zira," Nanoha replied, her voice tinged with regret and melancholy. "If I win, she loses her chance to cure her daughter. I know I have to win, though. I just don't-HEY!"

"It really is a crime that you have a better chest than I do," Sein teased, giving an extra squeeze, then jumping back, giggling, before Nanoha could respond. "Sorry sorry! But I had to do something; you were in danger of dropping into a funk. We'll figure out something, trust me. For now, you just need to concentrate on this fight; leave everything else to me!"

A grateful smile formed on Nanoha's face. "Thanks, Sein."

The cyborg manager turned her client around and gave her a push. "That's what your manager is for; now get out there and win!"

Nanoha formed her barrier jacket along with Raging Heart. "I will."

"Now entering the arena, the Starlight Destroyer Seikou, who has quickly become legendary by defeating several powerful mages in quick succession!" came the announcers voice, although it would be muted once the battle started. "And in the other corner, another mysterious woman who has rapidly come up through the ranks. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the 'Magekiller,' Isis Egret!"

Nanoha gripped Raging Heart's shaft tightly as the crowd went wild.

x~~*~~x

"So, any luck?" Verossa asked as Otto came back. "Your sister got back awhile ago, but neither of us could find anything."

"Yes, and not what you're expecting," Otto declared holding up a disc. "I found this being peddled in some of the black market stalls; they are recordings of a series of underground fights."

"Did Sein go back on the circuit?" Deed questioned, coming down stairs full clothed while rubbing her hair with a towel. "I thought she had retired."

Otto put the disc into the player as the screen came on. "Not exactly; take a look at this."

"Is that...?" Verossa started, then shook his head. "It can't be. Her hair is different... but her voice, her spells, and her barrier jacket are very familiar, if not exact. Nanoha?"

"They are calling her Seikou, the Starlight Destroyer," Otto informed them. "Whoever she is, Sein obviously feels compelled to help her. This was the same woman who left the orphanage with Sein."

Verossa leaned back. "I've heard that name. Someone the Bureau has been having trouble with recently. Rumors abound, but apparently they took out several divisions of troops, and is supposedly the reason Jalacia is currently off-limits."

Otto paused it, showing Sein very clearly going out to hand Nanoha a robe in the wake of the latter's victory. "And there's our missing sister. I'm not quite sure what's going on, only that the both of them showed up a couple of days ago and have been fighting a series of special matches in order to participate in the championship tournament. I don't know much more, except that the Bureau has learned of this and is trying to find the location of the fighting ring in order to apprehend her."

Deed gazed at the screen, and finished the thought for her sister. "I agree; since Sein most likely has a very good reason for what she's doing with this Seikou person, we should probably help her. We need to find this ring before the Bureau does."

x~~*~~x

"Divine Buster!"

Despite Nanoha getting a chance to fire, Isis easily ducked under the beam, proving just what a nimble adversary she was. Despite staying mostly at the long ranges Nanoha usually preferred, the current distances were proving more advantageous to Isis. It allowed her to continue with her own relentless, and unusual, attack: butterflies. More specifically, small ones made up of some type of explosive gas that Isis had remote control over.

Which Nanoha was becoming intimately aware of as one of nearer butterflies detonated in a large explosion which Nanoha just managed to avoid, but that set her up for a secondary detonation that she was forced to shield against. But the repulsive force from that blast put a third butterfly at her back that ignited with a burst and sent her careening towards the arena floor.

She managed to recover and level out, skidding along the ground, but realized what Isis was doing; very deliberately and methodically using those explosions, calculating where each one would send Nanoha, knocking her opponent around like a pinball. Thus, she knew she needed to change things up and be less predictable. At least she could begin to understand why her opponent had made it so far in the tournament; the keen mind combined with her quickly multiplying fluttering bombs were quickly depriving her adversaries of maneuvering space.

"Why are you fighting?" Nanoha asked, remaining on the ground while gazing upwards.

Isis didn't respond, but merely slowly brought several butterflies to bear on Nanoha, who quickly triggered a Flash Move to end up behind her opponent, but somehow Isis must have anticipated that, too; there was a pair of butterflies waiting for her. They erupted with powerful concussive forces, temporarily stunning Nanoha while Isis seemed mostly unaffected and even managed a pair of powerful punches and a kick that sent Nanoha against the arena shield.

She responded with a wave of Axel Shooter orbs, but as before, they only temporarily dissipated the butterflies; the gas came back together almost immediately afterward and Isis easily shielded against the magic missiles. That left Nanoha wondering once more about how to get inside her opponent's guard.

From what Nanoha had learned from Sein, she understood very well why Isis still appeared rather youthful despite being almost 60 years old; Isis was both a cyborg and a mage, and very adept at combat, as she was now proving.

Still, Nanoha tried again, telepathically this time, after executing another Flash Move to deliberately end up at a bad angle to attack, and thus Isis didn't expect her to be there. "[Why are you in this tournament?]"

"[I don't have to tell you anything]" Isis responded gruffly, expelling more gas from the spherical bottles on her wrists.

Nanoha inwardly sighed; she should have figured it wouldn't be that simple.

x~~*~~x

"What are you doing!" an alarmed Givo cried as the pair continued down the slide and through the darkness.

"Quattro had the advantage back there, so I needed to change the venue, and I had this escape hatch personally installed for emergencies," Teana yelled into his ear. "Your testimony wouldn't be enough to free Wendi; we need actual proof, so we have to get that and then present it to Hayate!"

The ride abruptly ended, dumping both of them on a mat which kicked up the covering layer of dust in protest. Coughing, Givo quickly moved off it, but found his wrist grabbed as the older woman roughly pulled him along.

"Hey, easy!" he complained.

"We have to keep moving," she told him impatiently, turning a corner. "You need to take me to Quattro's hidden base so I can record everything. I can transmit that to Hayate, which should be enough to put Wendi's trial on hold. First things first, however." She brought out a card device and held it in front of Givo. "Cross Mirage, full scan."

"Scanning..." the device intoned as Givo wondered what was going on. "Detected; tracking device located. Disabling..."

Givo felt a low burning sensation on the back of his neck. "Ow!"

"There, that takes care of that," Teana told him, turning the card into a gun. "Now let's get moving; we need to get to Quattro's hideout before she has a chance to clean it out, so lead the way. You said there were others working for her?"

"Um, yeah," he responded absently, trying to recall the way. "A strange guy and another woman. They didn't mention names, though."

"Who could she have working for her?" Teana wondered aloud, turning a corner to see a pair of Enforcers who appeared to be as equally surprised to see her. "You two! Come with me. There is a vital mission that concerns Homeworld Security that I need your help with."

However, the pair appeared quite awkward as one of them explained, "Um, ma'am, we have orders to arrest you on charges of treason. I'm afraid you and the boy will have to come with us. You can explain it to Commander Harlaown."

Just as Givo was beginning to wonder how Teana would respond to them, he was shown: she promptly and quickly shot both of them. "Why did you-" he started to say as the two Enforcers crumpled to the ground.

"They're only stunned," Teana told him, pushing him along again. "We can't waste time; Quattro obviously hopes to stall us, and I need to take care of that. Cross Mirage, put in a call to Hayate."

"Unable to complete request," the device replied after a moment. "Jamming signals are in effect."

Teana cursed. "And I can't reach her by telepathy from this far away, either. Her ship should still be in orbit in preparation to leave for Supools, so I'll need to get a ship myself. Still, I don't get it; we've had our differences, but why would Fate believe Quattro over me? And I thought she was going with Hayate to capture Nanoha."

"What did she do to you, anyway?" Givo wondered aloud.

The Homeworld Security Director was silent a moment, and then faced away, a far off look in her eyes. "It started a long time ago. Rioters protesting some of Hayate's policies had taken control of Mariel's first Hydra power station outside of Clanagan. Cinque and Dieci were nearest and responded, and I wanted to go help them."

Her eyes closed, recalling...

_"Negative, Teana, continue with the investigation," Fate ordered over the communicator. "I'm closer, so I'll grab some Enforcers and back her up."_

_"But you know how well I work together with them!" Teana protested. "The three of us can handle it if I go!"_

_"That's an order, Enforcer Nakajima!" Fate replied after a moment. "Enforcer Commander Harlaown out!"_

Teana slammed her fist against the wall. "Cinque snuck in to peacefully subdue the rioters while Dieci provided long range sniper support. But something went wrong; the reactor blew up. It killed Cinque and severely injured Dieci, such that she would never fight again. And Fate showed up much later than she said she would with her promised backup!" Her eyes flew open again. "If only she had let me go, or been there sooner, then Cinque and Dieci would be alive today. That's why I blame her. After that, she took me more and more off critical assignments, and so I eventually transferred out of the Enforcers to end up where I am today." She sighed. "Givo, where is she currently?"

"The Fate woman?" Givo questioned, his brow furrowing in puzzlement. "I... don't know. I can't get any sort of read on her. Whenever I think of the person up there, I get confused with the other woman who was with Quattro in that hideout. Only she had blonde hair instead of gold.."

Teana grabbed his shoulders roughly, surprising Givo with the intensity in her eyes. "What did you say!"

"The woman who entered with Quattro had blonde hair before," Givo answered quickly, startled. "My magic sense told me they were the same two down there with the other guy. She must have changed her looks."

"Transformation magic?" she questioned, then shook her head and began to pace. "Quattro has an ally that uses transformation magic... or does she? The sensors in my office would have detected that. This is just like with Wendi; someone deliberately doing a very good impersonation of her without the aid of magic. But who could Quattro be working with that could..." She trailed off and stopped, her eyes widening. "But she couldn't be... could she? It would all make sense, except it should be impossible..." Suddenly she spun on Givo and projected a picture from her device. "Tell me honestly... Is this who you saw?"

"Yeah, that was how she looked down there," he answered, wondering what the big deal.

"So that's how she's doing it," Teana breathed in understanding, her eyes narrowing as she studied the picture of Due.

x~~*~~x

[I need to reach her,] Nanoha decided resolutely, gripping her weapon tighter.

"ACS, standby," Raging Heart announced in response to her will. "Strike Flame."

"[I know what you went through]," Nanoha stated, gazing evenly at her opponent while recalling all that Sein had told her. "[You spent a lot of time in a Bureau interment and reeducation camp.]" According to Sein, the experience had changed her greatly.

"[The war did that to a lot of people, but I got over it,]" Isis growled, setting off a chain of explosions as Nanoha charged straight for her, but to her surprise, Nanoha just took the damage and continued at breakneck speeds.

Still, Isis managed to sidestep and grab Raging Heart's shaft, twisting while slamming an elbow into Nanoha's gut before tossing the woman away. Nanoha quickly recovered, but was forced to retreat as several more floating bombs came in. She hadn't expected Isis to be able to react so fast, even though Sein had warned her about Isis's cyborg reflexes; and she absently rubbed her stomach where her auto-barrier had barely mitigated the force of Isis's cyborg strength.

"[But the pain of losing friends, never goes away, does it?]" Nanoha countered sympathetically, the change of expression on Isis's face revealing that she had hit a mark. "[You go along, doing your best, only to see it makes no difference in the end. I heard about Thoma and Lily.]" She left off mentioning how the Saint Church had taken Isis in after that and consoled her, and that later led to Isis fighting for them during the war where she was captured.

"[Shut up!]" Isis ordered, gesturing more butterflies in to finish Nanoha off. "[Don't talk about them as if you knew them! They were the nicest people I had ever met, and in the end, they were used like pawns between larger forces. Their lives meant nothing to the people fighting over them, except as weapons of war!]"

"[Yet you fought for the church, so you must have believed in what they stood for,]" Nanoha countered, pointing her staff. "Strike Stars!"

Isis grit her teeth and exploded several butterflies to stop the volley of Axel Shooter shots, but was forced to deploy a Round Shield against the main beam. Her feet dug in, bracing her body against the force the blast, determined not to give in.

"[I thought the church was better than the Bureau, but in the end, even they abandoned me!]" she mentally shouted, the beam pushing her back despite her shield, but her bombs were in position. The chain of explosions covered nearly a third of the arena when they were done, but had succeeded in forcing Nanoha to end her attack, and Isis presumed caused serious damage to her opponent. However, her eyes narrows as the the smoke cleared; Nanoha was gone. [I couldn't have done enough to vaporize her...]

That was when binds snapped into place around her wrists and ankles and a large pink glow from above grabbed her attention.

A Flash Move had gotten Nanoha to safety just in time, and the brief pause had allowed her to begin charging her Starlight Breaker. She had realized that further words wouldn't reach Isis's ears right now; she was still too angry at everyone. The Bureau for the loss of Thoma and Lily and later her incarceration, and the Saint Church for the peace agreement; when they surrendered, one of the terms was for the church to give up all rights on prisoners of war. They had no choice, since those were the terms the Bureau demanded. But this was the part where Sein's intelligence had faltered; all the cyborg nun knew was that Isis had managed to escape years later, but apparently hadn't shared any of the specifics of that with anyone. Just that she had gone into seclusion on Supools after.

"[You think this will stop me?]" Isis snarled, straining against the binds.

"[I know you won't believe me, but I do understand what you're feeling,]" Nanoha stated calmly. The events of the past 50 years, the war; she was discovering that it hadn't just left anyone untouched, but had affected them all deeply. [And I'll put an end to this, one way or another.] She swung her staff down. "Starlight Breaker!"

A disturbing smile formed on Isis's face. "Puffy, disengage safeties, activate black perfume!"

Nanoha watched, puzzled at what her opponent was up to as a black gas was emitted from Isis's wrist pods, covering her hands and turning them the same ebony color. With a mighty battle shout, Isis launched herself skyward and met the descending beam with her left hand, and in that instant, something strange happened; Nanoha found her Starlight Breaker spell disintegrating. Then Isis was in her face, and despite getting a combination Round Shield/Bind spell up, Isis's right hand went through it as if it wasn't there, impacting the other woman's stomach. Nanoha went flying across the arena, smacking into the side barrier, but Isis was there again and despite Nanoha weakly getting her left arm up to block, a second strike sent her crashing down into the ground.

"Now you know why I'm called 'magekiller'," Isis informed her as Nanoha struggled to rise, wondering what in the hell happened. "Magic doesn't work too well against me. I spent much of the last ten years getting the formula just right, but I succeeded in duplicating the magic particle de-linking function of the Eclipse virus. It's temporary and carries a bit of a risk, which is why I'm going to finish this fast."

As Isis raised her fist, Nanoha knew she had to act fast. It was only her barrier jacket that softened the previous blows just enough; Isis's cyborg strength would finish her quickly if it went through her auto-barrier. Even though the wind was knocked out of her, Nanoha managed to point Raging Heart straight down and fire off a Divine Buster, then roll out of the way as the explosion obscured everything. She only had a couple of moments to recover and come up with a counter for Isis's new anti-magic.

"This won't hide you forever!" her adversary yelled, creating several more butterflies that exploded and dissipated the dust cloud in the area immediately around her.

"Divine Buster," Raging Heart announced, firing.

Isis immediately shielded against the pink beam as it emerged from the remains of the debris field, sending her remaining butterflies to the that location. But then her eyes widened as the cloud cleared enough to see that the device was floating there and firing on it's own, Seikou nowhere in sight. Isis turned just in time for a magic-charged fist to strike her cheek, the impact sending her into the ground, hard. She recovered and leapt to her feet, preparing to charge at Nanoha in rage, only to have a magical shot explode out of the ground and impact her chin which sent her stumbling back until a second shot impacted the back of her head and canceled her backward momentum.

"Your magic de-linking effect is limited to your hands, and to what you can see coming," Nanoha stated, pointing her finger as she continued her barrage of hidden Axel shooter orbs. "Crossfire Shoot!"

Isis instinctively raised her hands to block the pink beam, dissipating the spell as another shot impacted her stomach and dropped to her one knee. "I have to... win. I have to... get back and save... Runessa! Puffy, increase Black Perfume yield, full body!"

Having heard from Sein earlier about the Eclipse virus, Nanoha couldn't let Isis deliberately infect herself like this. Acting quickly as the gaseous cloud began to move up Isis's arms, sent her mental command to Raging Heart, now having positioned itself behind the woman while Nanoha had her distracted.

"Excelion Buster!" the device announced, firing from only a few meters behind, the large pink beam fully engulfing the cyborg.

Then it was over, Isis falling forward to hit the ground with a very audible thud.

x~~*~~x

Teana cursed again; a growing habit Givo had noticed from her. True to his word, he had tried to lead her to Quattro's hideout, but eventually there were too many Enforcers and soldiers blocking the way; they couldn't get close. Also, there was a fairly powerful anti-magic field in effect, which meant she abandoned the plan of trying to fight her way through. Then, Teana had decided to sneak a shuttle out next, but that was also covered by plenty of Enforcers, and from what she could see when she interfaced her device with the computer systems, all shuttles had been taken down for maintenance; none were in flying condition.

"Quattro knows me too well," Teana seethed in anger, slamming her fist against a metal wall as the pair took a brief break in a small room. "At this rate, I can't inform Hayate nor gather the evidence I need. And she's making me look like the criminal! She probably had something like this planned all along. I need to think; I can't go to Dieci, Nove, or Wendi, as she would expect that, too. Damn it!" Her fist met metal once more. "Without access to a shuttle or the official teleporters to get above this interference, I can't contact Hayate on her ship before she leaves, and I don't know who I can trust!"

Givo raised an eyebrow as he watched her pace from his place sitting against the wall, but despite his thoughts being more focused on his own troubles. [I should have just run when I had the chance. I'm right back where I started; being pursued by the Bureau!] Then a thought struck him. "So you need to teleport to the ship? Layla can teleport."

Teana paused in her pacing and stared at him. "I read her file: support magic mainly, but also some teleportation. I don't think she has the range to reach the ship, but maybe..." She paused, her facial expressions mere surface indicators of the wheels that were beginning to turn in her head. "Yes, Quattro was forced into this situation as much as I was, so she can't be fully prepared for everything, and she knows I'm not a traitor, so she might not expect me to... it's a risky gamble, but I might not have a choice." Her head came up. "Givo, we're going to free your friends after all."

Barely able to register her words due to shock, he didn't protest as she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along.

x~~*~~x

"Why are you here?" Isis grumbled, her first words upon waking up and seeing Seikou by her bedside.

"I came to apologize," the woman offered, actually looking a bit sheepish. "I've never really been reduced to actually punching someone before." Her expression changed, appearing more thoughtful. "I had heard that you were saving up money to get to Mid-Childa, and I guess I know why, now. At first I thought it was for revenge, but it's more than that, isn't it? You want to rescue Runessa, don't you? Would you tell me about it?"

Isis was silent, not feeling like responding.

The visitor sighed. "For what it's worth, I'm fighting against the Bureau; I'm competing to get back to Mid-Childa as well. I'll try to take you with me if I can, but if I can't, I promise I'll do what I can to find Runessa for you. It would help if you told me more."

"You're crazy," Isis stated, staring at her, then sighed and shook her head. "Runessa was the only friend I had in that internment dump. Together, we hatched a plan to escape, but when it came time to carry it out, we got separated. Before I lost sight of her, she told me to go, and that she'd find another way out. The transport I hid away on took me to Supools, and now I can't get back!" She slammed a fist on the hospital bed railing, partially denting it. "I shouldn't have left her!"

Seikou surprised by reaching out to gently pat her hand. "You did what you had to. If you hadn't escaped, then Runessa wouldn't have a chance now." A small smile appeared on her face that hinted at things Isis could only fathom. "And you're right, I suppose I am crazy. But someone on my planet once said: '_The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.'_ So, I suppose I am a bit unreasonable. And you haven't given up on friendship as much as you'd like to project, since you're going through all this for a friend. In that way, you're a bit unreasonable, too."

"Probably," Isis admitted, turning away. "It's what Thoma would have done. Stupid idiot that he was."

The mood turned somber for a moment, and then Seikou stood up to leave. "I didn't know Thoma nor Lily, but they sounded like great friends. I have experienced the loss of people I cared about, too, so I know how you feel. I promise you that, if it was in any way possible, I would have done anything I could to save them. No one deserves to lose people they care about."

"Bit late for that now," Isis mumbled, glancing up at the ceiling. "That's in the past."

When there was no immediate response, she turned back to see the small secretive smile on Seikou's face had grown slightly. "Perhaps."

And with that, she walked out, leaving Isis more puzzled then ever. [Just who _is_ she?] And then she noticed a small envelope on the stand beside her bed. Curious, she opened it and read the letter within:

_Isis,_

_In case I don't get to talk to you again, or take you with me when I win the tournament, I've enclosed a couple names for you to seek out on the Jalacia continent that may enable you to return to Mid-Childa. If you do, look me up, and we'll find Runessa together, as well as change the Bureau into something that doesn't have reeducation centers._

_Sincerely,_

_Seikou_

Confused, Isis scrolled down farther and read the names, but that didn't clarify matters any. [Who are 'Laguna Granseic' and 'Lutecia Alphino'?]

x~~*~~x

"So you've made up your mind to stay, then?" Hayate's image asked from the screen.

"With the entire Wolkenritter along side you, you shouldn't have any problems capturing Nanoha on Supools," Fate answered in the normal professional tone Hayate had come to expect from her oldest friend's service over the years. "Besides, someone has to look after this place, cince Teana has her attention diverted by Wendi's trial. Also, I have a few things to take care here."

There was a pause as Hayate briefly considered that, her face partially hidden by fingers clasped together. "Very well. You're my most valuable subordinate, but more than that, we've known each other a long time. It might be best this way."

"When do you depart?" Fate inquired.

"Within the hour," Hayate answered. "The last of the troops will be on-board then, and we'll rendevez with the _Genya_ and the _Regius _for the trip to Supools. Intel still suggests Nanoha is still fighting in that underground tournament, and the Enforcers Rai left will have the location pinpointed soon."

"Good luck," Fate offered honestly. "Try to bring her back in one piece."

Hayate nodded. "That's the plan. With luck, I'll return in a day. Hayate out."

The screen winked out, and Fate exhaled, relaxing back in her chair.

"Masterful performance as usual," Quattro purred from the darkness of a corner. "I guess it is most fortuitous for us that the real Fate decided to take a mysterious leave of absence. Still, Hayate is going to be a bit upset when she learns we delayed her receiving of Fate's letter."

Fate slowly morphed back into Due. "We'll just have to deal with it. Teana's little surprise caught us off-guard, and although we can use this, it will have to be handled delicately. Do we have any word on them yet?"

Quattro shook her head. "None. Shouldn't you return to her house as Dieci?"

"No, I think Teana expects us to be waiting for her there, and she won't want to put her 'disabled sister' in any danger," Due replied, thinking. "It would be best if we can have Teana killed for resisting arrest, but either way, by the time Hayate returns, it will be too late for her to do anything and we can move to the final stage. With her pillars of support gone, she'll be forced to rely on us. All that remains is the matter of where Fate went." She turned and noticed Quattro's smile. "I see you're amused by something."

"While I am ever in awe of my old teacher's capacity for deception, I have to wonder exactly what purpose this plan of yours is going to accomplish," Quattro answered, with equal parts awe and subtle probing.

Due's amused smile easily surpassed the one worn by her old student and sister. "If you can figure that out, you will have passed the final lesson."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I was initially considering using Sieglinde instead of Isis, but Sieg's magic style isn't entirely clear, and when I look at what I plan for further chapters, Isis's backstory and involvement will actually work better. Of course, I'm assuming a few things about her that haven't been made clear in _Force_ yet (like Isis being a combat cyborg), but we'll see if my predictions bear out. If not, I've got an escape route to use later. If that sounds vague, good. ;p

I had intended this to be one chapter, but as I wrote parts, especially the ones about Isis, I realized that it would be a disservice to keep her part small. Also, looking at what I have to do for Zira and the events afterward, it would have made this chapter huge. And so splitting into two also allows me to expand a bit on the Teana/Givo scenes, and hopefully set some good stuff for next time. Also allowed me to add the final Quattro/Due scene there, which I like because at this point I can only imagine the kind of relationship the two had, prior to Due going undercover.

If you aren't finding this whole tournament arc too interesting, all I can say is that it will be over next chapter, one way or another. There shouldn't be any other "detours" as I approach the final section of this fic. All your questions and theories will be answered soon!

Music for this chapter was primarily the Fairy Tail Main Theme, both the regular and slow versions. Check 'em out on youtube, or better yet, watch Fairy Tail or read the manga (the anime follows the manga). It's pretty good.^^


	26. Extrication, Part 2

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 26: Extrication, Part 2**

Xx~~*~~xX

_This was it._

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the '125 Supools Championship Bout!"

The final fight that she needed to win, in order to return to Mid-Childa in order to start the revolution that would finally change the Bureau.

"In this corner, displaying impressive magical power with seven consecutive wins, thus proving just why she has the reputation she does; the Starlight Destroyer, Seikou!"

There was just one problem.

"And this corner, the returning champion with a record 62 wins versus 2 losses, the Soul Stabber, Zira Rinaldi!"

Her opponent's face was firm, and Nanoha expected no less. Having studied Zira's style compared to what she knew of Shamal and Zafira's abilities, Nanoha felt confident she could win. However, there was one big issue remaining, since both women held large stakes on winning this match.

"Match continues until one side can no longer fight. Begin!"

Nanoha wasted no time. "[Zira, I-]"

And apparently, her adversary didn't either.

Zira blurred forward, ignoring the telepathic sending. Nanoha barely got a shield up in time, but Zira whipped out her sword in a split instant, destroying the barrier in an explosion. Both mages shot out of the smoke cloud in different directions, but Zira didn't let up for an instant, rebounding off the arena shield and coming in again. Nanoha fired a Divine buster, but the woman disappeared and the beam hit empty air. Reacting quickly, Nanoha executed a Flash Move and thus it was the very air being rendered instead of her body.

Thunder rumbled as the split air came rushing back together, but Nanoha was already preparing her next spell. "Axel Shooter, Gatling Mode!"

A high stream of shots erupted from Raging Heart's spear tip, as Nanoha attempted to track Zira's path. From her earlier study, Nanoha knew Zira preferred to keep the pressure up with short range attacks, using a short range teleport move not unlike her own Flash Move; Zira called them Flash Steps instead, and they were employed to great affect in the setup to an attack.

[I just need to keep her occupied long enough...] Nanoha thought to herself as Zira worked her way closer. And then the brunette cut off her attack and dove for the ground while firing a Divine Buster. [I need to buy Sein more time.]

The explosion kicked up a layer of dust that she hid herself in, but shortly after doing so, the cloud was cut into several parts by multiple slashes and Zira was on her again. This time, Nanoha deflected the sword swing her staff, able to follow the quick moves due to her experience fighting Fate. Zira was almost as fast, but slighty less predictable, which made the battle more difficult in some ways. Also, since Zira drew her weapon only when ready to strike, using the speed of the well-practiced maneuver to add to it's deadliness; a quick-draw ability not unlike the ancient samurai of Japan.

Sparks flew as the weapons clashed, but that ended quickly as Zira sensed the attack and phazed away, a dozen Axel Shooter orbs from the earlier Gatling spell streaking in for her. Nanoha flew backwards through the air, trying to get a bead on Zira again, but it was too late.

Time stopped and her vision swam.

"Got you," Zira whispered into Nanoha's ear from behind.

Nanoha glanced down to see a hand protruding from her chest, holding her linker core.

x~~*~~x

"Layla!"

A head topped by short reddish hair came up as her name was called. "Givo?"

The other prisoners in the cell looked up as the familiar boy appeared on the other side of the cell. "I've come to get you guys out of here!"

Layla was aghast. "What? How?"

"I brought, uh, a kind of help, " he told her proudly, pointing to his "assistant."

"That's Teana Nakajima, Homeworld Security Director!" a man in the cell uttered in disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No joke," Teana tried to assure him as the cell door swung open. "I need your help, which is why I'm helping to get you out of here. But the system will only be down for 5-10 minutes at most, so we need to hurry. We have a chance as long the drones are in diagnostic mode. Cross Mirage!"

"Deactivating," the device intoned.

Layla glanced down momentarily as the collar fell off her neck and clattered to the floor, and then back up at Givo. "Are you sure about this?"

He spared an eye to glance up at Teana, then returned his gaze to Layla and nodded. "Yes. Well, I think so. I don't think we have much of a choice, anyway." He sighed. "It's a long story."

"He's right about that," Teana agreed, meeting Layla's gaze with a look that didn't reveal much. "Neither one of us has much of a choice. I need your help as much as you need mine, and you stand to win your freedom."

"We can't go with her!" the prisoner who had spoken before uttered. "This has to be some Bureau trick to test us!"

Layla studied Givo's eyes, and then stood up defiantly to shook her head in disagreement. "Maybe, but somehow I don't think so. At any rate, I'm not giving up; it's not what Rio would do. I'm in."

One by one, the other dozen prisoners stood, including the doubter, although he was next to last. However, one person still remained inside, sitting against the back wall. Layla followed Givo's glance as it went past the rest of the prisoners and focused on the individual.

"Sister?" he questioned, but she barely looked up in response. "Sister Rubella?"

"Leave her," Layla said softly. "The others won't trust her after what she's done. She's part of the Bureau now, for better or for worse."

Givo ignored her, his expression thoughtful, then he crossed into the cell and came to stand before the nun. "Sister, they are escaping. I remember, even though I was angry, that you healed me. You're not a traitor, so much as someone who wanted the fighting to end. We have to fight, though."

"Leave me, like she said," the Saint Church nun finally uttered. "They're right. I won't be trusted again, and this is my punishment. I can only be judged by the Saint alone. Go."

"Givo, we don't have time for this!" Teana admonished him. "We have to go, now!"

"But-" he started to say, glancing back and forth between Rubella and Teana.

The nun reached out and pushed him away. "It's okay, I will wait for her holiness's judgment. I was prepared when I took the actions I did. If she is willing, we will see each other again. If not, I am glad I got to know you."

Layla sighed, and then walked over to him and gently grabbed his shoulder. "Givo, you heard her. Even if we wanted to take her, if she wasn't willing, she'd just slow us down."

He glared at her, but allowed himself to be gently pulled back out of the cell, his gaze returning to the sister. "I'll see you again, I promise!"

She smiled and nodded at him, while Layla turned back toward Teana. "Okay, we're trusting you, crazy at that sounds. Now what?"

"I need you to teleport us somewhere, so I can get a signal out over the jamming," Teana explained. "Your file says you have a range of just over 500 meters, so we'll need several hops to reach it, however."

"I can't take more than three people with me, though," she countered, glancing at the rest of the prisoners. "And I need to get them out."

Teana dismissed the concern, and tossed her a datapad. "They'll have to fight their way out. The Enforcers are technically after me, so any resistance they encounter will be light. They just need to follow that map into the sewers, and then blend in with the people in the ghettos outside Clanagan. If they move fast enough, they should be able to slip out sometime after. With the jamming in effect, the guards won't be able to coordinate an effective search. Now go!"

"Don't worry about us," a female prisoner stated, accepting the data pad from Layla after she checked it over. "We all made a vow to fight the Bureau no matter what; we'll see you at the rendezvous point."

Layla shook the woman's hand firmly as the prisoners began filing out. "Agreed, we'll see each other then." She turned back towards Teana and Givo while the woman went to join her compatriot's. "Well, where to?"

"We need to get above the jamming so I can send a signal, and there is one place in all of Clanagan that is deliberately above the jamming field," Teana stated evenly with small smile. "Hayate's personal command center at the top of the central Bureau spire."

x~~*~~x

The pain was just as maddening as she remembered, but she was prepared.

"Reactor Puge," Raging Heart intoned, as the outer layers of her barrier jacket exploded, propelling Zira and her apart.

Still a bit shaky from the effects, Nanoha reformed her barrier jacket in the smoke screen, and then took aim and fired. "Excelion Buster!"

Zira recovered just in time to draw her blade and swing, dividing the beam, although the pure force of it drove her back and began to shred her own barrier jacket. Zira yelled and pushed her sword forward, completing the slice and sending a vertical wave of magic up the beam, which forced Nanoha to dodge, thus ending her attack. For the next moment, the two paused and studied each other warily, panting in an effort to regain their wind.

"[Kela,]" Nanoha sent telepathically, and was rewarded by the brief flash of surprise and shock on Zira's face before her regular demeanor returned; she'd have to remember to thank Sein later for her information. "[She's your daughter, the one you're trying to afford the operation for. I understand why you're fighting, and why you need to win. And I promise I'll help you with-]"

"[I don't want you, or anyone's, pity nor sympathy!]" Zira responded angrily, taking Nanoha aback with the ferocity, and then charging straight for her opponent again.

Nanoha released a volley of orbs, sending half of them at Zira while the others arced off in wide angles and then returned to her. Just as she suspected, Zira disappeared and came in at a different direction, but this time, Nanoha had her magic missiles there and waiting, forcing her opponent to divert her own attack and defend herself. For the next few moments, they engaged in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, rapidly speeding around the arena, Zira trying to get in close while Nanoha kept her off-guard with her magical shots.

"[I just want to help,]" Nanoha continued, keeping her tone calm while preparing her next spells. "[I met her and even chatted with her; you have a beautiful daughter. I don't know why you left her at the orphanage-]"

But Zira had prepared her own spells, too; magical threads erupted from all directions and ensnared Nanoha's limbs, showcasing that her opponent hadn't merely been flying around aimlessly. But as Zira charged toward her now-bound opponent, she flew right into Nanoha's own prepared trap-bind spell; for the moment, it was a stalemate and a race to see who would break free first.

"[Even though she doesn't know who you are, your daughter wants her mother, more than anything,]" Nanoha continued, working on her binds. "[Why won't you go to her? Why won't you let me help you?]"

"You don't need to know!" Zira seethed out loud, a hand trying to reach the sword at her waist.

"If I defeat you, will you tell me?" Nanoha offered.

Zira barked a laugh. "Fine. If you think you can manage that."

"Understood," Nanoha replied, then closed her eyes. "Raging Heart, Blaster Two."

Her opponent stared as twin blaster bits materialized and proceeded to cut Nanoha's binds with Strike Flame tips, then she slid back through the air several meters and began charging for a Divine Buster with the two blaster bits helping to reinforce the main beam. Nanoha knew this might be pushing the stress on Raging Heart a bit, and she hadn't heard from Sein yet, but she had a good opportunity here and she couldn't pass it up.

Zira seethed and growled against her restraints, just managing to break her right hand free and grab her sword handle a split second before the blast reached her. Sword met beam again as she tried to cleave the stream in two, but wasn't entirely successful, being driven rapidly back instead until she managed to slip out of the way. She panted and glared at her opponent, her barrier jacket singed and and ripped in various places, but otherwise intact.

Nanoha inwardly debated about how to continue holding her off, when Sein's voice finally echoed in her head, giving the brunette the signal she was waiting for: "[I talked to the old man: It's done.]"

Inwardly, she felt a sigh of relief, but that still left the problem of what to do about Zira; she was quite evasive, and it would be hard to trap her in another bind, and any lesser attacks she dealt with via her sword. Nanoha needed someway to hold her still while hitting her with an attack big enough she couldn't block or cut. An answer came to her almost immediately, and she grit her teeth, knowing this was going to hurt.

And thus she waited, standing still, as Zira charged again. Her adversary blurred again, popping up in various places around her before disappearing again, trying to disorient Nanoha and leave her guessing as to where she'd strike. But Nanoha knew that those Flash Move-like abilities took a considerable amount of mana to do, which meant Zira had to strike soon.

"Master!" Raging Heart exclaimed, and Nanoha shifted slightly right while dropping her weapon.

Zira's eyes widened in shock. "What...?"

With her right hand, Nanoha had grabbed Zira's left, that was now jutting out of her chest. The incredible agony was back, but due to Nanoha having experienced it twice before and shifting at the last moment, it had missed her linker core. And with her left hand, she had grabbed Zira's right wrist, the one that held the sword. Zira tried to free her hands... but found she couldn't.

Nanoha shakily looked up and met Zira's eyes. "Excelion... Buster."

The other woman had just enough time to glance around, noticing that Raging Heart was floating below her and pointing up, while the blast bits were above and to either side and pointing down at a 45 degree angle. In the next moment, three pink beams converged on her in a large Y-shape, while her mouth opened in a soundless scream.

And then it was over, and Nanoha fought the pain as the hand retreated from her chest, catching the falling woman in her arms and dropping gently to the ground. While Seikou was announced as the victor, Zira's eyes began to flit open again, indicating that she had regained consciousness. Almost immediately, her facial expressions revealed that she knew she had lost.

"[Will you tell me about it now?]" Nanoha asked gently, laying the woman down; but Zira faced away, making no move to get up. "[Why won't you go see your daughter, and let her know who you are?]" Zira's expression became more pained. "[Zira?]"

"[Because it's my fault she's like that!]" the anguished response finally came as the woman's moist eyes snapped shut.

x~~*~~x

The trio materialized in the command room, Givo shielding them against Enforcers that opened fire the instant the three appeared, while Teana's magical bullets took them, and and technicians manning the stations, out.

"Let's hurry, we don't have much time," Teana stated, blasting the door controls and sealing them shut with a welding shot. "You two get the dimensional barrier up; we'll have company soon, and we don't want guests teleporting in after us."

"Give me... a second," Givo panted, hands on his knees. "If it hadn't of been for Layla's boost spell, I couldn't have held up a barrier against that."

"You need more practice with shielding spells," the Homeworld Security Director told him pointedly while tapping away at the keys on one of the stations. "Just as I thought, the computers here were locked out the instant we came in, so I can't use them, nor can I access the dimensional relays. Cross Mirage, can you send the coded signal to Hayate's ship from here?"

"Accessing..." Cross Mirage responded, the seconds ticking away in agonizing slowness, while shouts and spells sounded from the other side of the barricaded door. "Unable to complete. Hayate's ship has entered hyperspace and is now out of range."

"Damn it!" Teana cursed. "We were too late!"

"I might be able to boost the signal strength of your device," Layla replied, beginning to strain a bit as she helped Givo maintain the dimensional barrier. "But I'm not sure if it will be enough, and I don't know how long Givo could hold this on his own."

"I'll manage somehow," he grunted under his breath. "Do it quick!"

She nodded at him, then switched her focus to Teana and Cross Mirage. "Timeless ether, the span of the cosmos, grant this mage a line through through space. Communication signal, Boost Up!"

"Resending signal..." Cross Mirage repeated, while the three glanced up nervously as the dimensional barrier began to crack.

x~~*~~x

"Supreme Commander, we have a signal coming in," a bridge tech announced.

Hayate glanced up from her position in the Captain's chair. "What is it?"

"Accessing and decoding now..."

x~~*~~x

The dimensional barrier finally shattered, the magic backlash sending Givo tumbling across the room. Layla was immediately at his side, making sure he was alright and helping him up.

"We need to get out of here," Layla made the obvious announcement, beginning her teleport calculations.

"Not quite yet; Cross Mirage, status!" Teana snapped.

"Target out of range, unable to complete," the device replied after a moment.

"No!"

x~~*~~x

"It's from Supools," the bridge tech answered. "The Enforcers have found the underground fighting ring and are setting up a perimeter. We'll be in range to begin transporting down within a few minutes."

Hayate sat back in her chair. "Good. I want a full containment barrier ASAP." Inwardly she knew that wouldn't stop Nanoha, who had powerful barrier bursting magic, but it would slow her down and let them know exactly where she was when she attempted to break out. "Signum, did you hear that?"

A holographic screen opened showing the Wolkenritter General, Vita, Shamal, and Zafira behind her. "Ah. We are ready to move as soon as possible."

Hayate folded her fingers in front of her face; Nanoha wouldn't escape this time, not if she had anything to say about it.

x~~*~~x

"[I don't understand, why do you think it's your fault she was born that way?]" Nanoha questioned, kneeling down.

"[I... kept fighting, even after I found out I was pregnant,]" Zira admitted, tears leaking out of her closed eyes, as if she was reliving the experience she was describing. Now that the dam had burst, the rest came flowing out all at once. "[It was in the middle of a championship, and I couldn't afford to back out. But I lost a match, badly. The doctor's told me there could be a risk the baby was harmed, but I didn't find out until she was born; her foot was deformed and her spine is slightly out of shape.]" She paused to wipe her eyes with an arm, then finally opened them to glare at Nanoha. "[So I had to win! I HAVE to fix my mistake!]"

"[I know what it's like, seeing your daughter hurt,]" Nanoha stated softly, emotion creeping into her voice, reliving her own personal ordeal. "[It's as if someone reaches inside you and twists your insides, leaving you feeling weak and helpless, always questioning yourself, knowing there should have been something you could have done, but didn't. The guilt, the fear, and the anger eat away at you.]"

She shook her head and gazed down at Zira. "[But your daughter needs you right now, and I've just received word that the championship funds will be transferred into your account; I don't need them, as my deal was just a series of fights. You should be able to get her operation with them.]" She held out her hand. "[Let's work together.]"

Zira was speechless, staring at the other woman as if she had grown a second head. But any response was put on hold as both women suddenly felt a dimensional barrier engulf them, flooding the entire area.

In that respect, Sein's mental warning almost wasn't needed: "[It's a trap!]"

x~~*~~x

The door finally burst open, flooding the room with Enforcers with Fate right behind, giving orders. "Stop them!"

Teana smiled grimly as Layla's pink magic engulfed them, and gave the other woman a message. "Tell Quattro I'll be back, and that I have a bullet with her name on it."

Binds, barriers, and magic shots filled the room, but the three intruders disappeared just before that.

x~~*~~x

"[One of the other family heads tipped off the Enforcers, hoping to collect the reward on yoru capture, "Sein continued in Nanoha's head. "[But the old man is being true to his word; he's sending the data to Raging Heart about the location of the ship he has for you, but you'll obviously need to hurry. I may or may not be able to reach you in time, so just go without me if I don't make it.]"

"[Thank you, Sein, but it's probably safer for you to stay on Supools,]" Nanoha replied truthfully, but also with more than a little concern. "[It's me they are after, and what I have to do on Mid-Childa is considerably more dangerous than what we did here. But I'm truly thankful for what you've done, and I'll repay it someday. Tell the old man thanks for me as well.]"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then, "[We'll see. This conversation isn't done, but you need to hurry. If I make it, I'm coming with you. If not, then good luck. Sein out.]"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Nanoha said quickly, helping the other woman to her feet. "The funds will be placed in your account shortly; hopefully, I'll be back someday to see your daughter run."

Zira refused to let the hand go, and instead squeezed it. "Thank you, but we're not done."

Nanoha raised an eyebrow.

The other woman glanced sideways as the sounds of explosions and voices became louder. "We've got to get you out of here. I assume you have an escape route?"

"Thank you, but I can't let you-"

"Whoa, I'm not going with you all the way," Zira stated sternly, giving her an even gaze. "I'm just helping to get you out of here. I have a daughter to return to, remember?"

A small smile appeared on Nanoha's face. "Alright, just for a short while. This way."

Zira nodded, and the two women sprinted out of the arena.

x~~*~~x

[Okay, it's just down a couple more levels...] Sein started to say as she slipped out of the ceiling and landed in the corridor, following her mental map, when a bind snapped into place on her wrist.

"You're under arrest!" a male Enforcer declared, pointing his staff at her.

Sein cursed herself, in her haste, she hadn't checked the room before entering it. [A rookie mistake!] She tried to break the bind, but the Enforcer's staff was charging for a stun shot that would obviously knock her out, and she knew she wouldn't make it in time.

Suddenly, a dark shape was there, grabbing the staff in it's teeth. "What in the hell-?" Before he could question it further, he was swarmed by several more.

Sein blinked. "Dogs? It couldn't be..." A side wall exploded outward, revealing three familiar faces, one of which she hadn't seen for years. "Deed, Otto! ...Verossa?"

Otto knocked the Enforcer out with a shot. "It's a good thing we found you when we did; Verossa's dogs were tracking you for the past several minutes as you dove through floors and walls. You're quite difficult to keep up with."

"How did you even know I was here?" Sein asked as Deed sliced the bind off her with her sword.

"No time to explain; we have to get out of here," the #12 cyborg replied, glancing at the room's doors. "We can compare notes after. We can't risk getting caught here with Verossa's important information."

Sein looked at him. "Important information?"

"Something that could tilt the course of our conflict," he told her, sending his dogs back out to find a secure escape route. "From what I've learned, our real enemy isn't Hayate nor the Bureau; there's something bigger going on. I've got the information on a disc which I'll show you when we-"

Sein's eyes widened. "Do you have it with you? I need to get it to Nanoha!"

"Nanoha?" Otto questioned, raising an eyebrow. "So that's who she really was? Not Seikou?"

"It's a long story, but what if you say true, then she'll need to know," the #6 cyborg replied, snatching the disc from Verossa's hands as he hesitantly held it out to her, and then placing it in a side pocket. "Thanks for coming, but you guys should get out of here; I need to get to Nanoha before she escapes. I can't explain now."

Deed placed her hands on Sein's shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?

Sein nodded, smiling, and then hugged her sister. "Trust me. And if you can, find a way to Mid-Childa. Something tells me we'll need your help there shortly, if we make it."

Verossa nodded. "I was planning to head in that direction anyway, but we'll meet up again there." He glanced up as an explosion sounded down the hall. "However, we need to go, now. My dogs have found a route but it won't last long."

"Later!" Sein waved, diving into the floor.

x~~*~~x

"Ooooh, you want some more, bay-bee?"

Vita smacked the dizzied mohawked man on the head with her hammer to knock him out, sighed, and then held a hand up to her ear. "Vita here, still no sign of the target. Light resistance mainly, but also, I found some magic hounds. It's possible Verossa is involved."

"This is Shamal," came the almost-monotone reply in her ear. "Klarer Wind has narrowed down her position somewhere in the west corridors. An Enforcer unit is in pursuit."

"Hayate here, I'll join them, if Zafira and Signum will keep pushing her west," their mistress stated. "We'll spread out around her to box her in, then take her down together. Let's move!"

"Roger," Vita replied, placing a bind on the enemy mage and leaving him to a pair of Enforcers while she sprinted off down the cratered hallway.

x~~*~~x

"You're under arrest!" several Enforcers announced, pointed their staves at the two women they had just run into.

"Why, how rude!" Victoria stated, whipping out her fan. "I shall have you know that I am from the esteemed Dahlgren family, a master of the Thunder Emperor style whose routes trace back to-"

"MOM!" Gloria yelled, throwing a barrier up across the hallway while simultaneously yanking her mother back around the corner as the Enforcers opened fire. "What did you think you were doing?"

"That was rather rude of them," Victoria huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Didn't even let me finish my speech."

"What makes you think they were going to?" the younger woman questioned, incredulous.

"Well, that's how it was done back in my day," the elder Dahlgren opined, and then sighed despairingly. "Combat always follows the speech. That's just how it's done. The youth of today have no respect for tradition."

Gloria rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Whatever. We need to get out of here and the closest way out is through them, so how about trying combat first this time?" She held up an electrified fist and grinned.

Victoria nodded, pulling out a second fan and charging them both with the same electric magical energy. "For once, I agree with you. Let us show these ruffians the Dual Thunder Emperor Style, for victory and glory! Ohohoho!"

The daughter tried her best to ignore her mother's laughter as the two women charged back around the corner in unison and attacked.

x~~*~~x

"This it?" Zira asked, glancing upward at the ship resting on a 45 degree angle launch slope. The name on the side read: _Centennial Sparrow_. "It looks like a piece of junk, honestly."

"Watch your mouth!" came a female voice from a hatch on the ship's side, walking down the boarding ramp. "She'll make point five past hyperspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts! Captain Duo is the name. And I take it you're Seikou, the one we're supposed to transport to Mid-Childa?"

Nanoha nodded and gave a short bow. "Yes, and I'm grateful for your assistance."

Zira planted her hands on her hips. "Well, it's up to you, but with the dimensional barrier up, we can assume there is a Bureau ship in orbit to greet you. Not sure how you plan to get past that."

"I've outrun Bureau starships," Duo boasted, jutting a finger at her chest. "Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you. I'm talking about the big XV class ships, now."

Zira rolled her eyes as if to say "whatever" and then turned back to Nanoha. "We still have the barrier to deal with, but this is as far as I can go."

"I'll destroy the barrier," Nanoha stated confidently. "You just get yourself to the edge, and then run as soon as it goes down; it might not stay down long."

"I will, good luck to you, and thanks again," the other woman offered earnestly, then hesitated and held out a hand.

Nanoha shook it eagerly. "You, too. And say hello to both your mother and your daughter for me."

Zira nodded, and then headed back out into the corridor.

"Alright, let's get going!" Duo declared energetically, holding up a hand to her ear as she led Nanoha up the boarding ramp. "Choonie, fire up the engines and prepare to launch!"

x~~*~~x

Teana glanced at the city of Clanagan in the distance and sighed, regretting her failure. Not only had she failed to protect Wendi and Nove, but she had abandoned them along with Dieci, She had failed to stop Quattro's plot, failed to contact Hayate, and was now a wanted fugitive, driven from the city.

"Damn it all!" she cursed, slamming her fist against a tree.

"She had no choice, we had to get out of there," Givo told her, keeping an eye on the unconscious Layla; she had used up the rest of her magic to make the longer teleport jump to the ghetto, where they hotfooted it out of Clanagan.

"I know that, but still!" Teana shot back gruffly. "I lost the entire city, no, the whole planet to Quattro and Due! Hayate has no idea what she'll be walking back into. I'll just have to find some way to sneak back in and warn her when she gets back."

"Well, we can't go back now," Givo pointed out. "Well just have to hide until things cool down."

Teana shook her head. "Things won't cool down, not where Quattro is concerned. But you're right, we do need to get out of here and hide for awhile; they are probably trying to trace the teleport, so we aren't safe here." She paused thoughtfully, and then turned to Givo, a grim smile growing on her face. "But I do have an idea. I need you to find us a certain accomplished expert at hiding."

x~~*~~x

Sein drove her cyborg limbs as fast as they could go while running down the corridor, the spaceship in the distance igniting its engines. A glowing ball of pink magic was positioned at the craft's nose, that Sein recognized as Nanoha's magic; she realized Nanoha was going to shatter the barrier as they launched, which meant she didn't have much time.

With a final push, she came aside the ship while it began to climb, and then leapt with all her might towards the wall that separated the corridor from the launch ramp the spaceship was rapidly ascending.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha swung her staff down, activating the Starlight Breaker just as the ship cleared the launch tube and burst into the air. The magic exploded forward, shattering the barrier after a few seconds of direct impact.

"Altitude climb nominal," Captain Duo declared.

"Bureau ships in orbit!" co-pilot and engineer Choonie announced, worry in her voice. "They know we're coming; I don't know how you plan to get around them."

"You should know me well enough by now, hun," Duo replied, a certain eagerness in her voice. "You just handle the hyperspace jump calculations while I bring the shields up and remind you just why I'm the main pilot here. There hasn't been a Bureau ship yet who could catch me!"

Nanoha held onto her seat straps as the ship rocked from nearby explosions, as energy beams lanced from the cruisers, seeking the small ship out. Several times, the ship shuddered as Nanoha felt what were probably were shots connecting, but true to her boast, the captain managed to outmaneuver them long enough to clear the atmosphere. With a final burst of speed, the ship lurched into hyperspace.

"Geez, about time you steadied the ride," came a voice from behind. "I had a hell of time holding on. Perhaps you should get your inertia dampeners checked."

Duo swiveled around in her chair. "My inertia dampeners are fine! There just aren't any that can keep up with the inertia this ship puts out. Now, who the hell are you and how did you get aboard?"

Nanoha craned her head around. "Sein! What are you doing here? You should have stayed on Supools!"

The cyborg cracked a grin. "You aren't getting rid of your manager that easily!" She held up a shiny disc. "It just so happens that I received some last minute intel from Verossa, Deed and Otto. They claimed it was important, so I thought you should have a look at it. At the least, they need me to get it to any resistance groups on Mid-Childa, and you previously mentioned you had contact with them."

"You can plug it in here," Choonie informed them, indicating a slot.

"I sure hope it was important enough for you to stow away with me," Nanoha stated, hesitation in her voice. "It's not exactly going to be safe around me."

Sein popped in the disc, grin still present. "When has it ever?"

Nanoha sighed, then all four quieted down to watch the recording of Regius's office. While the captain and the first mate were clearly confused about what was going on, Sein easily recognized her deceased sister Due from pictures, though she was at a loss when it came to the figure wrapped in a full-body cloak.

The #6 cyborg shook her head. "Well, not sure how or why this is important, except it looks like Due survived and... Nanoha? What's wrong?"

The cloned mage was pale and trembling, her face locked on the still image. "That voice... I know it..."

Sein's eyes widened a little in surprise. "You have? Who is it? It doesn't sound like anyone the doctor used to work with. Where have you heard it before?"

Nanoha gave her a hauntingly terrified look, like none other she'd ever seen on the woman's face, while replying simply, "In my dreams."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Magical Girl Therapist Nanoha! In re-watching A's with some of my anime group members, and then re-watching StrikerS on my own, I really was struck by how Nanoha tries to play counselor/psychologist a lot, even in the midst of combat, heh.

At any rate, Nanoha will be back on Mid-Childa next chapter, one way or another, as the series rounds third base and heads for home. The final confrontations are coming, and mysteries will be revealed shortly. Tune in next time for "The Return" where we learn the fates of several characters, including some we haven't seen for awhile...

Victoria and Gloria were just for fun; not sure if they'll pop up again, but you can be sure people like that find a way to survive. ;p I'm completely blaming Dezo for the use of them, though.


	27. Return

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 27: Return**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha's eyes flew open and darted around the room while she panted. Just to make sure, she reached up and felt her neck, but there were no hands there. Still, the voice echoed in her mind, now clearer thanks to the video that Sein had brought aboard.

_"You are mine now, child."_

_"Come with me if you want to live. I require you."_

There was no question, as her dream had just verified: they were identical.

She hugged her body, shivering as an air current from the ventilation system gently fondled the sweat on her body. The face was still indistinct, but the voice was familiar. [Is it someone I know? Where does this memory, if that's what it is, even come from? And whoever it is, apparently they had some plan in motion all the way back to the day of the cradle attack. Jail didn't mention Due, so whoever took her is obviously not working for him.]

Of course, she didn't totally discount the idea that Jail had simply hidden that aspect from her, and that this whole thing was part of his plot in some way. But she felt like she had a good read on Uno at least, who hadn't mentioned Due at all, and the woman definitely didn't seem like she was deceiving Nanoha in any way. Unless Jail had deceived her, too.

[I'm thinking in circles, I need to take a walk,] she decided, shaking her head and climbing down out of the upper bunk bed.

The disc had contained many other files, mostly copious amounts of notes Verossa had accrued from his long undercover mission, some of which seemed on the verge of conspiracy nut ramblings. But others made a bit more sense, and it was those that made her skin crawl the most; the most striking one was his discovery that the life-extension machines extended life... by taking it from others. It was apparently a well-kept secret, as not many really knew how they worked, just that they did. Nanoha wondered if Fate or Hayate knew. It could have been just another paranoid rambling, but she had encountered something similar before.

[The Book of Darkness,] Nanoha remembered, thinking of how it drained the life of Hayate and absorbed the linker cores of mages.

She shivered, rubbing her arms and trying to clear her mind for the moment as she looked for her pants. Duo had urged their guests to get some rest, as the trip would take a couple of days, but right now, sleep was the last thing on the brunette's mind; she really needed a walk.

"Nanoha?" came Sein's faint voice from the lower bunk bed.

The other woman sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just couldn't sleep, that's all."

The #6 cyborg sat up and studied her travel mate. "The dream again? And you still don't know what it means?" In response to Nanoha shaking her head, Sein bit her lip, just barely visible in the darkness. "I actually have a theory about that. It may be the memory of the first Nanoha's death, currently hidden in your subconscious. People normally don't have those kinds of memories, so it would be pretty traumatic to the brain, which is why it's mostly suppressed, but comes out in your dreams. It could be the key to figuring out who is behind things, but I'm also worried about you, because there is no idea what effect it would have on your psyche if you were to actually remember everything. I'm still not sure you should try."

A sad smile formed on Nanoha's face. "We may not have a choice; we need any advantage we can get. I really feel like this is important somehow."

Sein sighed. "I suppose that's true. Whoever that was, they took Due. If they did that to save her life, then we have bigger problems. From what I know of my sister, she can easily pretend to be almost anyone, and is a skilled manipulator; she convinced a priest that she loved him, and made him willingly steal the shroud of the Saint, something that all Church members find incredibly holy. No one, no matter how much they might believe, is immune to subtle manipulation, especially when they don't realize it's happening. It certainly does put a slightly different perspective on history, if she has been out and about."

Nanoha thought that, and it did make a certain amount of sense. It might very well explain why people died at certain times, or why they made the decisions they did. A nudge here, a bomb there, and it was scary what could happen. After all, according to Fate, the Bureau still honestly believed they were doing the right thing to protect people; at least those at the top. She shivered again when she thought of what she might do to protect Vivio.

[But why?] the thought came. Was her goal to turn the Bureau into this? If so, what purpose would that serve?

However, her thoughts were broken as Duo's voice sounded over the intercom and the lights came on. "I think you two should get ready and come up to the cockpit." There was a note of urgency in her tone. "We'll be approaching Mid-Childa much sooner than anticipated."

The two women spared a quick glance at each other, then swiftly got dressed and headed for the bridge.

x~~*~~x

It was a bar like most others one could find on Mid-Childa, made of stone and concrete with a wooden bar and tables, but to Teana, this one held something important. The patrons within barely glanced up as the trio entered, but she took her time scanning the room's occupants for one in particular, not needing Givo to point out the target since her own eyes found what she was looking for.

Almost casually, she strode up to one particular cloaked patron at the bar, then pulled her gun and placed the barrel up against the person's head. "Hello, Rio, long time no see."

"Hey, you promised-" Givo started to say, but was forestalled by Teana giving him the hand.

"Of all the people in all the bars, you had to walk into this one," Rio opined with a sigh as the hood fell off, revealing purple locks. She casually took another swig of her drink. "What's the reason for the visit? Social call? Grapevine says you're on the outs with the Bureau, but you know how rumors go."

Teana's lips pulled upwards slightly as she armed her weapon. "You could say that. And I hear you've been busy, putting your little group back together. But aren't you missing one-"

That was as far as she got.

Rio suddenly dropped as if the bar stool had been taken out from underneath her, and then kicked outwards with lightning speed, catching Teana in the gut and knocking her towards the door. The gun mage fired as she flew, but Rio was already on the move, zigzagging to follow up on her initial assault and thus it was part of the bar that exploded into a shower of splinters. She sprung into the air and came down with an axe kick, however Teana rolled out of the way and came up on her feet, pointing her gun at Rio's head, who batted the ex-Enforcer's hand away just before it went off and a glass on the counter paid the price instead.

For the next few moments, neither one could gain an advantage as they traded hand-to-hand point-blank attacks. Teana kept trying to shoot Rio at close range, while the other woman ducked and deflected the hands holding the guns, with several shots barely missing the skill Strike Arts practioner.

"Never through I'd see you traveling with her," came a familiar voice from behind.

Givo and Layla turned, startled, as a woman behind them removed her hood. "Corona! It's, um, kinda complicated." He winced as another stray shot claimed a table; by this time, most of the bar's previous patrons had quickly found an exit. "Although she said she was going to talk, not fight."

"Well, to be fair, they are talking, too," Corona mused.

"Facist dictator!" Rio growled, grabbing some of the Director's hair and yanking.

"Small-chested anarchist!" Teana snarled right back, elbowing the other woman in the gut.

"They aren't small!" Rio countered, biting her adversary's arm.

"I knew you survived!" Layla enthused, grabbing one of Corona's hands as a wall exploded. "They told us that you died when your transport ship went down, but I knew it couldn't be true."

Corona ducked as an empty beer pitcher flew over her head. "Well, it was kinda true, but complicated. I'll explain later." She sighed. "Once these two are done, anyway."

"Rebel malcontent!" Teana accused, slapping Rio's cheek.

"Hitler!" Rio shot back, adding a backhand to the insult.

Teana paused, looking confused. "Who?"

Rio took advantage of the pause to toss Teana against the shelves behind the bar, shattering dozens of drink bottles, but the gun mage fired several return shots that sent the rebel leader tumbling back through several tables.

"Then again..." Corona continued, changing her mind, her magic circle flaring underneath her feet as the two women clashed once more. "ENOUGH"

Rio and Teana, thumbs hooked on each others lips as if trying to pry the others mouth open, paused and looked at Corona as the mage formed giant hands out of the stone floor and tightly grabbed each combatant.

"Now..." Corona continued, letting out a breath. "Could we continue this like civilized people?"

x~~*~~x

"I thought you said it would take almost two days before we'd arrive, in order to throw them off our trail?" Sein inquired as she and Nanoha arrived in the cockpit and strapped in. "It hasn't quite been a day."

"That was the plan, but our reactor must have taken a hit when we burst out of Supools like a bat out of hell," Duo replied, flipping switches. "We have an energy leak in our reactor that's been draining power that Choonie couldn't fully repair, so we don't have anymore time to waste. We lost the cruisers a few hours ago, so I've charted a shorter and sharper parabolic turn towards Mid-Childa."

"In other words, we're trying to get back ASAP before we lose power totally," Choonie, another woman who was Duo's co-pilot and engineer, explained to the blank looks on Nanoha and Sein's faces.

"Oooh, will we be alright?" Nanoha asked. She'd had a course or two in dimensional navigation, but it was one of the few categories where it was mostly over her head.

"We should... provided there aren't cruisers waiting for us right where we exit hyperspace," Choonie answered, tapping away at her console. "In which case, they could probably vaporize us the instant we emerge."

"But they won't, trust me!" Duo soothed with another boast.

"And of course, if there are more than four ships in system, the possibility of safely landing on the planet is approximately 3,720 to 1," Choonie added.

"Never tell me the odds!" Duo grunted in annoyance. "They probably already detected our approach by now, so I'm bringing us in closer to the planet than what you're probably used to. Alright, hold on, dropping us out of hyperspace... now!"

True to her word, the little ship emerged back into normal space and rocketed towards the planet. Mid-Childa filled the cockpit's window, a sight Nanoha had seen many times, but never quite under these dangerous circumstances. And she never saw a Bureau ship open fire on her, either, as the _Centennial Sparrow_ rocked from the weapons fire glancing off it's shields.

"Hold on, we'll be past them and into the upper atmosphere in a few moments!" Duo called, sending the ship into a series of impressive evasive maneuvers. "Choonie, angle the deflector shields; that should buy us some time!"

"Already on it, but they are close to failing already!" the co-pilot called back, worry in her voice. "There's a storm front on the southern continent; if you can get us into it, it should help hide us from their sensors."

Duo grit her teeth. "Oh boy, gonna be rough ride, hold on!"

Lightning flashed across the window, accompanied by fierce water droplets as the ship dove into the stormy clouds. Nanoha did her best to grip the armrests when the ship rocked violently again, followed by an electrical surge and various alarms sounding. Whatever had just happened, it couldn't have been good.

Choonie's next words confirmed it. "We've lost the main engine! They got a hit past our shields. The good news is they don't seem to want to destroy us, just cripple us. The bad news is, we might just end up splattered all over the planet anyway. We can't slow down enough on just the maneuvering thrusters!"

"Would you drop the Miss doom-and-gloom persona?" Duo groused. "I've gotten us out of worse situations than this. Although..." She glanced back. "Miss Sein, you may want to take our VIP guest into the back and escape, just in case."

The cyborg nun was quick to respond, unfastening her seat, and then grabbing Nanoha's hand the instant she undid her own restraints. "Got it."

Nanoha glanced between the other two women, concerned as Sein took her hand and began pulling her out. "But what about you two-"

She was cut off as the ship tilted to the side, and only Sein's cyborg arms kept her on her feet as she was led along, before pausing alongside a hallway section. Before Nanoha could realize what was going on, the cyborg nun was giving her a small smile and tucking a certain disc in Nanoha's breast pocket.

"The whole point of this was to get you to Mid-Childa, and that's what we're gonna do," Sein said, then hit a button on the wall. "And you're the only one of us that can fly, so I can't come with you, sorry."

In the next instant, the wall behind Nanoha opened up and she was sucked out of the ship and into the rain, watching helplessly as Sein remained in the doorway, smiling the entire time while the hatch shut. Nanoha immediately took off after the runaway ship that was quickly losing altitude and trailing smoke, but it was quite obvious she was never going to catch it. Powerless, all she could do was pray that it would rise just a bit more to clear the looming mountain ahead of it, but it was not to be.

She could only watch in abject horror as as the ship slammed into it, exploding into a giant fireball a split second later.

Rain soaking her hair and clothes, Nanoha sped ahead to the crash site, some hope still alive in her heart with the idea that perhaps Sein and the other two women had managed to bail out before the hit, but growing more and more anxious by the moment when she didn't see them.

"Sein!" she called out desperately, flying just above the trees. "Duo! Choonie!"

And then she was nearly right below the smoking and burning fireball lodged into the cliff face above, and she sank to her knees. Water ran down her face, that she told herself was from the rain, ignoring the unspoken thought that she had lost yet another companion. [I could have carried her! Perhaps all three, so why?]

Thunder echoed in the distance, giving her no answer.

She shook her head. [I have to keep going,] Nanoha told herself, dragging her soaked-to-the-bone body to its feet. [Too many people are counting on me. But still, I...]

"Something wrong?" came a voice from behind her, causing Nanoha to inhale sharply.

"I've been from one end of the galaxy to the other, and I ain't never seen anything like that," Duo commented, looking somewhat shaken.

Slowly at first, Nanoha turned around to see Sein standing there, holding onto the two starship women, and instantly realized what had happened, although Sein's next words confirmed it.

"What, did you think I was gonna die in that?" Sein teased with a smile. "I can only carry two people with me when I dive, so I had to get you out first. I grabbed each of them right before the ship hit, and used the forward momentum to fly into the cliff right before it exploded. Wasn't quite sure it was going to work, but hey, I'm still here!"

In the next moment, Nanoha found herself running towards the woman, hugging her. "When you didn't come, I thought for sure you'd... and you said you couldn't come with me, I thought..."

"Um, yeah, sorry about that," Sein replied, a bit flustered as she scratched the back of her head and chuckled nervously. "Guess when you look at it that way, what I said could have been taken differently."

"Hate to break up the reunion, but I suggest we get moving," Duo suggested tactfully. "It won't take the Bureau long to reach this area. I aimed for some place relatively remote for that reason."

Nanoha let the cyborg go and turned to the other two women, berating herself for almost forgetting about them. "You're right, but I'm sorry about your ship."

Duo chuckled while Choonie explained, "We go through ships like that a lot, since the boss pays us to smuggle things. In return, they build these fast ships for us to pilot. And there's nobody crazy or stupid enough to pilot them except lunkhead here."

"Hey, I'm not stupid!" Duo countered, then chuckled. "But Choonie is right. All we need to do is hook up with the criminal underground here, and they'll furnish us with another ship, or at least a way back to Supools. We've made deliveries to Mid-Childa before, although we normally just eject, but your crazy friend here grabbed us before we could."

Nanoha glanced at her companions. "Then you're right, we should get moving!"

"And find someplace warm to wait out the rain," Sein added as they began walking, shivering for effect. "I could use a warm bath."

Nanoha agreed, even as her thoughts turned to the nearly-insurmountable task ahead of her. She almost found it to be a bit strange to be back on Mid-Childa again, as it had seemed like ages since she was here, but in reality it been a month-and-a-half or so. She wondered how everyone was doing, both back on Supools and here. And in particular, she wondered what Fate was up to, and how she'd react the next time they saw each other.

x~~*~~x

The quintet had finally made it out of town, albeit with two of them needing to be bound and dragged out.

"Now, can we handle this like adults?" Corona suggested tactfully, having her stone golem set the two antagonistic women down on a boulder.

"She started it!" Rio accused.

"What?" Teana nearly shrieked. "You kicked me first!"

"Only because you put a gun to my head!" Rio shot back.

Corona rubbed her temples. "I don't need this. Don't make me silence both of you. Thanks to Layla, I understand how you got out of Clanagan and why they are here, but why did you seek us out, Director?"

"Ex-director," Rio corrected, smug.

Teana shot the woman a dark look, but managed to hold back and instead addressed Corona. "Quattro, along with Due, has instigated a bit of a coup, framing me and my sisters. I was unable to warn Hayate before she left. I... need some help rescuing my sisters and letting Hayate know what's really going on. And finding out what Quattro and Due are really up to."

"Wait, Due died nearly 50 years ago!" Rio protested. "Deed told me all about the JS incident."

"I don't know how, but either she survived, or somehow Quattro cloned her," the former Enforcer concluded. "My gut says the former. You'd have to ask Givo since he was the one who saw her, but it does make all the puzzle pieces fit, such as how she framed Wendi for treason."

Layla shook her head. "Even so, our mission is still different than yours. We want to overthrow the Bureau, not save it. To us, it doesn't matter who is in charge."

"I didn't come without bargaining power," the ex-director stated evenly. "I can pardon the lot of you, and perhaps even ease up on the restrictions in the occupation zone."

"That's still not enough-" Layla started to say.

"We might have to help her after all," Corona interrupted, gaining the attention of the small group. "If what she says is true, we have a problem. Rio, Otto told me of the JS incident as well, and we all know about Quattro's machinations during the war. Hayate is bad, but Quattro is worse, and Due was supposed to have been Quattro's mentor. I don't entirely buy Teana's deal, but we'll have to work out something. So, for the moment, can we try... Givo, what's wrong?"

The young teen turned to look at her, honest surprise written all over his face. "It's Seikou... I'm getting a read on her again. She's back on Mid-Childa."

x~~*~~x

Captain Rai entered and knelt before the Supreme Commander, his mind going back to the handwritten letter that he had just discovered not too long ago.

_Rai,_

_I apologize for informing you this way, and for taking this impromptu vacation so suddenly, but there are things I need to figure out. I'm leaving a similar letter to Hayate, to temporarily promote you to handle affairs for me while I am away. This hardly needs to be said, because I know you'll do a fantastic job, but keep them safe. I've seen how hard you've worked over the years to earn your position, and I am proud of you. You've come a long way from the street urchin I met on Earth so long ago._

_Take care,_

_Fate S. Harlaown_

[I won't let you down,] Rai answered silently.

"I assume you already know this, but Commander Harlaown has taken some leave," Hayate stated, the slightest hint of displeasure in her tone. "In her stead, as per her wishes, I am promoting you to Enforcer Commander; you'll temporarily assume her duties until she returns. You recently achieved the necessary S rank for command, and your record is spotless. Any questions?"

"Only if you have determined what my first assignment will be," Rai answered carefully.

"You are to see to the city's defenses for now, and delegate investigations to your subordinates," she informed him. "I've also relayed a specific training program to your device in regards to the combat style and magic of Seikou. Practice thoroughly, as we may need your assistance as part of a group effort in apprehending her. That is all."

Temporary Enforcer Commander Rai stood and saluted, then spun on his heel and headed for the door, his resolve firm. [I promise you'll have a place to come back to, Fate.]

x~~*~~x

"What a time for Fate to just up and disappear on you," Quattro lamented from the side after Rai had left.

"I know," Hayate replied absently, now back in her command chamber, swiveling her chair to gaze at her monitors. "What was she thinking? She could have come and talked to me before she decided to pull this stunt!"

"And Teana has fled, too, once her plot to free the rebel prisoners was discovered," Quattro added in a sympathetic voice. "I'm sorry I couldn't prevent her from doing so."

"I know!" Hayate barked, irritation growing partly because it was Quattro telling her something she already knew. "I heard your recording, and my analysts say that it's genuine as well. But it almost seems incomplete, as if you might be hiding something from me."

Quattro shrugged. "If I were, Teana wouldn't have run away like that. But it's not like we need either of them anyway, since she both of them failed to bring Nanoha in. It really seems like none of your subordinates are up to the task. Even Signum almost died and-"

She didn't get to finish, for in the next instant, she found her body telekinetically picked up and slammed into the wall hard enough to make a sizable indent. Hayate hadn't even turned from her chair, merely lifted her left hand and displayed her palm to initiate the magical attack. Quattro coughed once, feeling the pain on her throat as Hayate's hand slowly closed.

"My... apologies..." Quattro croaked, gasping for air. "I didn't mean..."

"You serve at our pleasure, never forget your place," Hayate intoned in a dangerous voice. "You'd be advised to watch your tongue around us, or you'll find it removed." She finally released the #4 cyborg, letting the body topple to the ground.

Quattro landed on all fours, coughing several times as the oxygen flow returned, but she was smiling. "I'm just... concerned. It really seems like you're losing most of your support, your majesty." She gingerly returned to her feet, using the wall to steady herself. "I can at least assure my new toys are 100% loyal and would be most effective in bringing Nanoha in; perhaps her highness might consider using them? After all, we just received word that a ship has crashed on Mid-Childa, the design of which matches the one that escaped from Supools. I think we both know what that means: Nanoha has returned, and she's coming here."

"That's why Rai was assigned to see to the defense of the city," Hayate replied evenly, studying her viewscreens. "And if she is coming here, then that saves me the trip of looking for her. I just wish the assault on Supools hadn't been mostly a waste. You can prepare your latest... "toys" but you only deploy them on my order, is that clear?"

"Crystal," Quattro replied in a pleased voice, bowing as she excused herself from the chamber.

Hayate waited until she was gone, before leaning back and sighing. "I don't hold much faith in your inventions, Quattro, if you could call them that. But if Nanoha really is coming here, I have another countermeasure in store that won't fail."

"[Hayate, you can't mean...]" Rein sent from inside, her tone tingued with concern. "[Would you really use them? Even Nanoha wouldn't be a match for them, and she might not even survive...]"

The feeling she got from her mistress answered that question. "[I'm keeping all options open at this point. I no longer want Nanoha dead, so I'll try to all means to take her alive and make her see our side, but the continued well-being of the Bureau takes precedence above all else; too many worlds depends on us.]"

Rein understood, taking a deep breath in unison with her mistress. "[Even it means using the Bureau's most dangerous prisoners.]"

x~~*~~x

She walked, and asked herself the question once more, that had come up multiple times in the past couple of days.

_What am I doing?_

In one respect, she knew where she was headed, since her device was providing a map. But she didn't know know _where_ she was heading... or why. There was one particular answer, but that in itself was mystifying.

_"Have you been out there yourself, and really seen what things are like?"_

[Is that what I'm doing?] Fate mused inwardly. [To prove Nanoha wrong? Or do I...] She trailed off, unwilling to give voice to the thought that had percolated above the line that divided the conscious and subconscious aspects of her mind, as if doing so would rob her of something important. But a part of her also realized that, just being out here and not with Hayate, meant she had already crossed that line.

The trail through the woods finished curving, giving birth to a crossroads and an old wooden sign. Two roads diverged ahead of her, and checking the holographic map, she knew where they both led. The left led to the southern coast, which featured a semi-popular resort town that Fate had visited often enough; it was a rather relaxing place, and perhaps some relaxation was just what she needed. On the other hand, the right path wove it's way through more difficult terrain, and arrived at the small village of Togasara in the foothills of a mountain range.

Oddly, Fate couldn't ever remember visiting that town, even though she had been all over Mid-Childa. "What do you think, Bardiche?"

"Get set," it responded, in it's own cryptic way; even though Mariel had said it wasn't entirely back to normal, it was times like this that Fate knew the old Bardiche was still in there.

However, long experience meant that she could easily decipher her device's sometimes mystifying behavior. "That's right, I've already decided, haven't I?" She closed her fingers over the golden triangle, the lead scientist's words coming back to her.

_"We've done as much as we could for Bardiche, but there were a few unresolvable errors that necessitated wiping of data and installation of new code and parts. It won't be quite the same..."_

Somehow, the tiny device seemed extra fragile, that if it were damaged again, what was left could be gone forever. She couldn't take that, which is probably why she took the other device as well, just in case. She looked at it in her left hand, and at Bardiche in her right, then pocket them both and pulled her cloak around her body, taking the right path.

Nearly six hours later, as the sun started to set behind her, she began to see houses in the distance. Pausing for a moment to glance into a clear puddle on the dirt road that was left over from an earlier rain, she checked her disguise. It wasn't much; she slightly changed the angles on her face with transformation magic to be a bit rounder, making her appear younger, as well as turning her now light-blue hair into twin pony-tails like she had in her younger days. She normally wasn't one to flaunt sex appeal, but she did recognize the effect it had on people, and a young, beautiful woman would be more disarming to people she met. Then she put her hood back up for the moment to hide her face, and entered the town.

Togasara itself was rather spread out, with various buildings scattered among the hillside, but enough well-worn dirt roads connecting them all. Farms littered the landscape for miles around, and the village functioned as a marketplace for the farmers to sell their goods. The villagers themselves milled about on their errands, and even though they didn't seem to be looking at her, Fate could sense that many of them were giving the stranger dark looks, but it wasn't until she found what looked to be the inn, that the feeling came into sharper focus.

"We have no room," the innkeeper, a portly woman in her 40's insisted.

"Are you sure?" Fate asked again. "I have plenty of money, and anything will do, just for the night."

The woman's annoyed expression only grew. "I said we don't, and that means we don't!"

It could be true, but at this time of year, Fate doubted it was the case. It was still mid-season for the main harvest, which was still months away. During that time, there would be a lot of extra help staying over to bring in the crops, as well as merchants coming through to buy the stock for selling elsewhere. But at the moment, there shouldn't be that many travelers.

"Is there anyplace around here I could possibly find some type of shelter?" Fate inquired, wondering why someone would refuse money. "I'll pay extra."

The woman looked to be winding up for a rant, when a male voice called from a table behind her. "Lighten up and give the woman a room, Elda."

"You know how we feel about strangers here during off-season, Jari, and why," Elda replied gruffly, hands on hips. "You should understand that, better than anyone. Your wife-"

Jari slapped the table and jumped up. "It's precisely because of her! You remember what she was like; you were friends with her. How do you think she'd feel if she saw us now? Cowering and shutting innocent people out?"

Elda's cheeks puffed out, but then she very visibly relaxed, getting a hold on her growing temper. "I know that. But it's still my inn, and my decision."

Jari shook his head, then finally turned in Fate's direction. "I apologize for that, but not many around here are too friendly to strangers. You're welcome to stay at my place if you like, but we won't accept money. Don't have much use for it. But if you're not afraid of a little work, you can earn your bed and breakfast."

The man's attitude was refreshing, especially in relation to the innkeepers, and Fate found herself growing a fond smile. "I'd love to."

He gestured towards the door with his head, and Fate followed him out. "I was about to head back, anyway. Again, I apologize for Elda, and for the townsfolk in general if you bump into more of them. They are a bit jumpy, since they automatically assume a new stranger is a Bureau spy."

"Why's that?" Fate questioned as the pair walked, honestly confused; she knew the Bureau only employed agents to find law breakers, and she couldn't imagine why a town such as this would fear something like that. "And what makes you think I'm not one?"

He surprised her with his sudden bout of mild laughter. "You don't look mean or sneaky enough to be one. By the way, I'm Jari Welnoz. What's your name?"

For a moment, Fate almost gave her real name, but figured that wouldn't be such a good idea. And surprisingly, she found she hadn't really thought of an alternate name to use, so quickly wracked her brain for one, before one came to mind, hoping he wouldn't mind her borrowing it.

She smiled. "I'm... Rai."

x~~*~~x

"So she finally let you start putting them into action?" Due inquired, already knowing the answer as Quattro joined them, but amused nonetheless.

The #4 cyborg nodded, falling into line behind the doctor but beside her sister. "I knew she would, in time. With the drones alone, we don't have enough power to seize total control. But these new units have already proven themselves in combat, and a legion of them is greater than any Bureau army."

"Although that is precisely why she hasn't allowed construction of a mass-production facility," Due noted. "She's extended the length of your leash, but she's still holding firmly onto the other end. The crude device that partially duplicates your power is all that allows you to even sneak down here."

A delicious grin appeared on Quattro's face. "That's all I need. Anyway, what's on the agenda for today? None of this means anything, if you don't get what you're after. If it's even possible."

Jail chuckled, stopping in front of a door "Oh, it's possible. But I believe we are running out of time; both of them have been far too calm about this, so I believe they are simply stalling for time, ironically enough." He reached out and tapped a pad and the door swished open, revealing a cell within containing two people. "Which is why they are going to tell us today, what we need to know. This little game needs to come to an end."

"We've been through this before, doctor," Yuuno told him defiantly, standing up, his wife just behind and beside him. "Why would you even care about time travel, when you've been manipulating the Bureau from behind the scenes? You have everything you could want!"

He shrugged. "I'll admit, I learned from my predecessor's defeat and adopted this new strategy from the brain council about ruling from the shadows. But I am still a bit limited in what I can do here, and there are so many possibilities for time travel. I could return to the birth of the Bureau and take control from there. Or go even farther back to the age of the Belkan wars, or to the age of Al Hazard, or even the beginning of time itself! Think of it! Surely, as a man of knowledge such as yourself -an archeologist even! - you must hold some curiosity for what the past was really like."

Said archeologist shook his head. "I do, but only to learn from history, not to pervert it. You're wasting your time; I'm not going to tell you anything."

"I believe you," Jail said simply with a shrug and a smile. "And I do loathe resorting to these crude methods, but... Due."

A sharp retort echoed in the small room, and Yuuno stumbled back and grabbed his stomach, shock written all over his face.

"YUUNO!" Shari called desperately as she barely managed to catch his falling body, growing distressed at the spreading red stain along her husband's lower abdomen.

"As I said, I believe you won't tell me anything," Jail repeated, while Due tucked the Silver Dagger handgun device back into her pocket holster. "Your wife, however, will tell us what we need to know. Or she will watch you die."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

No notes this time, other than I'm making progress on future chapters, and trying to keep to my New Year's resolution of finishing this in January. I might have to speed up releases a bit, though.

.


	28. The Calm Before

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 28: The Calm Before**

Xx~~*~~xX

_"Are you two sure you don't wanna come with us?" Sein partially teased. "It's gonna be fun!"_

_"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Duo countered, raising an eyebrow, and then pulled out her sidearm, offering it to the cyborg. "At least take a weapon; you're gonna need it, going into that death trap."_

_Sein smiled and shook her head. "Don't need it. The Saint will protect us, and you've seen Seikou's magic. You're gonna need it more than we do."_

_Duo rolled her eyes. "Hokey religions and mystical powers are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid. But best of luck to you anyway."_

_"Your boat leaves at midnight tonight," Choonie explained, handing the piece of paper to Nanoha. "We managed to get you smuggled aboard by the criminal underground here, and they'll take care of us, too, until we can make our way back to Supools, or another planet."_

_"Thank you both, for everything," Nanoha offered, shaking the pairs' hands._

That was the scene ten hours ago at Valrosa, one of the most developed towns on the tropical southern continent of Mid-Childa, a coastal city that served as a gateway of commerce and vacation travel plans. Or at least it used to, many years before. During their stay there, Nanoha couldn't help but note that the city must have seen better days. Cargo ships still made regular runs, and the odd rich family still passed on through on their way to more quaint locations on the continent, but it was several times smaller in magnitude than it had seen in it's heydays. However, it was there that they parted with two of their company, who had been their companions the past several days as they snuck across the continent's jungle, dodging patrols and search parties.

After the uneventful trip across the ocean, they had abandoned the cargo ship shortly before it hit port, swimming through the water to come ashore elsewhere since the Bureau checked every vessel religiously. Currently, they were now drying their clothes by a fire.

"It's a good thing they gave us extra outfits in a waterproof case, too," Sein remarked, hugging her body while staring into the flames, the light casting shadows against the trees in the darkness surrounding them.

"They thought of everything," Nanoha agreed from the other side.

Sein grinned. "They have to; they wouldn't last this long against the law if they didn't."

Nanoha allowed herself a smile, conceding the point. "I suppose you're right. Still, we lost quite a bit of time getting here. By my calculations, we have about a week-and-a-half to start the invasion on Clanagan. Vivio said she'd be here at that time, with Einhart, Ix, and the Mariages, but I have no idea how we'll get in contact with them."

The cyborg nun shrugged. "We will, somehow. If we at least make it into the Clanagan ghetto and assimilate with the population, I'm sure we'll pick up a lead-"

She paused and met Nanoha's knowing eyes as a very audible twig snapped in the distance, but not that far away, either. It could be just another traveler, or a wild animal, but it could also be a Bureau patrol. If so, their standard agreed upon escape tactic was for Sein to dive them both underground and come up somewhere else.

"Seikou!" a small form exclaimed, bursting from the foliage and running straight for the woman.

The brunette stared. "Givo!"

"Nanoha," Teana stated calmly, stepping out after him.

The cyborg's eyes bugged. "Teana?"

The gun mage realized who she was looking at. "Sein!"

Nanoha's gaze flitted upwards. "Rio! And Corona! And... who's this?"

"Layla," the red-haired woman offered with a small smile and a nod.

"And now that we're all acquainted," Rio declared with a grin, cracking her knuckles. "How do you feel about some payback?"

x~~*~~x

"Miss Rai! Miss Rai! Dinner is about ready!"

Fate paused and looked up as a little girl with long blonde locks came bounding through the fields. Unable to help herself, she smiled, placing her farming implement blade down and resting her arms on the other end of the long, wooden shaft. Marin was Jari's youngest daughter, only 7 years old, but full of spirit.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, somewhat out-of-breath, yet eyes shining with determination.

"No, I'm fine, but thanks!" Fate offered, reaching down to pat the girl's head. "I was just finishing up with this section. I'll be along shortly. Did you see if your older sister needs your help?"

"I already set the table, but she won't let me help much with the food," Marin pouted. Despite her age, she seemed to want to do whatever she could to help, even if it was supposed to be beyond her abilities.

Fate glanced over the half-finished field of tall switch grass. "Well, I can always finish this up tomorrow; why don't we head back together?"

When the little girl nodded an enthusiastic affirmative, Fate carefully slung the farming tool over her right shoulder and then took the girl's hand with her left, before starting off in the direction of the farmhouse. The sun had set awhile ago, and was nearly two-thirds sunken behind the mountains in the distance, but the golden hue it gave the waves of grass was nearly breathtaking. It was a simple scene, and yet Fate wondered how long it had been since she had seen such a sight.

Jari was waiting for them on the porch, smoking his customary pipe. "You handle that scythe like a natural. You sure you haven't ever farmed before?"

Fate let Marin go, the little girl quickly running back into the house, and then shook her head as she glanced at the wood and metal scythe in her hands. "No. But I had... someone, once, who taught me to use it." Her mind briefly drifted back to Linith and a simpler time, but just as quickly, Fate brought her mind back to the present.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad to have you stay, even if it's for awhile," he noted, referencing the fact that Fate had lengthened her stay from just a night, to several days. "We haven't been able to fully utilize all our fields since Jenna left."

"But you shouldn't really need to, since your wife's work in the Bureau as a mage should mean you receive a monthly stipend," Fate stated, laying the tool carefully against the side of the house. "Is there some issue with it?"

He shook his head. "The money is fine, and is partially why I didn't want to accept yours. But I'm a farmer, and so was my wife; it's in our blood, and that's how we prefer to live. Ever since the Bureau came for her shortly after Marin was born, I try to believe she's doing some good out there, like the Bureau says, but it does make life a bit harder on the farm."

"Sacrifices sometimes have to be made for the greater good," Fate offered sympathetically. "Mages can cause a lot of damage if left on their own, and so need to be carefully regulated. The Bureau gives them an outlet for positive gain."

"Perhaps," he replied in a tone that hinted he might not fully agree, or at least was undecided on the subject. "I just wish my daughters could see their mother more than once every few years. Anyway, let's go inside and eat before Tarish yells at us."

[Was this what you wanted me to see, Nanoha?] Fate wondered as she sat down and ate with the family, watching them joke and laugh with each other. [I don't see anything wrong. Life is a bit hard, but then that's the same for everyone. Despite that, the Welnoz family seems to be doing well.]

The more she thought about it, the more she found herself swinging back towards her earlier convictions. Putting that thought aside, she could admit that the current situation was doing much to relax her body and ease her mind. It was a simple life that helped her leave her troubles far behind, and thus when she bade the family goodnight and went to the guest room, she felt she would get another good night's sleep.

However, it was not quite to be, as shortly after she blew out the candlelight and climbed into bed, a tapping came at the window. Curious, Fate parted the curtains and came face-to-face with a grinning face.

"Marin, what are you doing here?" Fate asked after opening the window.

The little girl quickly put a finger to her lips. "Shh! I just wanna show you something. Come with me!"

Intrigued, Fate found herself nodding. "Alright, I'll meet you by the front door-"

"No, daddy and Tarish will see you," Marin countered, which only made Fate even more curious. "Come out through the window!"

Fate did as she was told after slipping her clothes back on, and the little girl quickly took Fate's hand and pulled her along. [What could this be about?] Fate wondered, as the pair entered the forest and walked along a path only Marin could see.

Eventually, they reached a small cave, and Marin paused before entering. "Don't tell anyone what you're about to see, okay? Pleeeaasse?"

"Alright, I promise," Fate replied, her curious imagination trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

She found out quickly enough, after a short trip through the cave; there, in the center of a small cavern lit by moonlight streaming in through a hole in the ceiling, was a small garden, incredibly well-maintained. The variety of glowing plants were impressive, all of them belonging to a class of flower Fate recognized as moon blossoms; a type of plant that thrived on the lesser glow of moonlight. Several of them were even beginning to bear fruit.

"Did you do all this?" she inquired, to which the small gardener nodded with pride. The blood of a farmer really did run in the blood of the Welnoz family, Fate realized. "I'm impressed. But why do you want me to keep this a secret?"

Her face dropped as she twiddled her index fingers together. "Daddy doesn't want me doing this, but I can't help it. I've always wanted a small garden of my own."

"He's a farmer, so why would he be against you growing your own garden?" Fate asked, confused.

The little girl fidgeted slightly, then glanced up at the older woman, before reaching out with her hand towards the garden. To Fate's astonishment, Marin's hand glowed green and one of the closed buds grew slightly, and then blossomed open. The Enforcer Commander's mind analyzed it and spit out an answer almost immediately: plant magic. The ability to sync with the vegetation of a planet and make it respond to you.

"Daddy says if anyone finds out, they'll take me away," Marin stated sadly, then looked up earnestly. "But these plants are my friends. I talk to them, and they talk to me."

"I'm sure your father just wants what is best for you, even if he's not entirely sure what that is," Fate found herself saying, her mouth feeling a bit dry for some reason.

"Maybe," Marin admitted, then brightened a bit. "So that's why I wanted to show you, because I can't show daddy or Tarish!"

Fate understood; her father forbade it, and the sister would most likely tell the father, as would anyone else in town. But that meant that Fate had now just been put in an awkward position. Anyone who knew of an unlicensed mage was supposed to do their civic duty and report it. It was the law; all mages above the age of five must register and train with the Bureau. That went doubly so for Fate, being a Bureau Enforcer; it was part of their own specific duties to bring in mages.

While the conflict continued to play out in her head, the two returned back outside, heading down the path to the house. However, they were stopped shortly before exiting the forest by a stern-faced teenager.

"Marin, what are you doing?" Tarish admonished, hands on hips. "You're supposed to be in bed!"

The younger sister recoiled slightly. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"She was just showing me a nice place to watch the sunrise tomorrow," Fate quickly offered, then smiled. "It makes for a nice moon-viewing place, too."

Marin glanced up at Fate and smiled, to which the older woman gently squeezed her hand.

"Be that as it may, you're supposed to be in bed, so get going," Tarish continued, eyeing the two. "You also know Father's rules about being in the forest at night."

"Alright," the younger sister whimpered slightly in defeat, letting go of Fate's hand and quickly running away towards the house.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have let anything happen-" Fate started to say.

"You saw, didn't you?" Tarish questioned, leveling an accusing eye at the older woman.

Fate considered hiding it, but somehow felt she couldn't. "Yes. If you let the Bureau train her, she could learn to control her magic so she doesn't inadvertently harm those around her."

"She'll also end up like mom, drafted into the Bureau's army and we'll hardly ever see her again!" Tarish shot back. "I don't know how the Bureau can live with itself, using child soldiers."

"It always has-" Fate started to say.

"And perhaps that was okay, when it wasn't forced conscription and they didn't send them off to war zones," Tarish countered quickly, then shook her head. "Look, she doesn't know that I know about that garden, and so far I've been keeping it a secret from Father, because she enjoys it." Despite her shorter stature, the 17-year-old strode up to Fate and pointed a threatening finger. "And now that she's shown you, if anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible."

"I wouldn't let any harm befall her," Fate stated carefully and honestly. If Tarish caught anything in Fate's voice, she didn't let it show.

"Alright," she replied after a moment, her tone neutral. "But I will do _anything_ to protect her, got it?"

"I understand," Fate replied.

x~~*~~x

"You've been busy," Nanoha noted, her voice tinged with awe as they walked through the corridors; all around them, technicians were repairing and refurbishing sections and equipment, while other rebels trained in the larger rooms.

"Shortly after we parted, and I dragged Rio out of her slump," Corona started to say, getting an elbow from the named companion.

"More like I dragged you off a Bureau ship," Rio muttered.

"More like you brought down the entire ship after sneaking aboard," Corona retorted, then sighed and continued. "Anyway, we started to gather up those that survived the attack on our old base to rebuild the resistance unit, and then relocated here. "

"It's an old, abandoned research center that used to belong to a company my family owned, Caledfwlch Techniques," Rio clarified. "We keep the surface looking like it is, a bunch of ruined buildings in disrepair overgrown with weeds, while we spruced up the lower levels underground. It's only a matter of time before a patrol looks a little too closely at this place and discovers us, but hopefully, that won't happen before we're ready."

"So, you really found everyone?" Layla asked anxiously. "Did the rest of the people from my group who escaped, make their way here?"

Corona nodded. "They, along with some other new recruits, are helping in the lower levels."

The woman could barely contain her excitement while she grabbed the young boy's hand. "Come on, Givo, let's go! I'm sure they'll all want to see us, too!"

"Wait!" he called helplessly, as he was dragged around a corner.

Sein chuckled, then turned serious. "Still, I don't know what I'm more surprised at; that you were traveling with Teana, or that she voluntarily turned herself over to your custody. She seems serious, at least. Can you really trust her?"

"We don't know, but we're working on negotiations," Rio replied, her voice tinged with caution. "She does have information that would make planning an assault easier, and her main concern seems to be with getting her sisters successfully rescued, but it's touch and go. She still seems a bit loyal to Hayate's regime."

"I can try talking to her again," Nanoha offered, to which Corona nodded gratefully.

"Please do," she encouraged as the remaining quartet turned a corner. "She has offered us one tidbit, though: Agito is alive."

The revelation shocked Nanoha, as her memories went back to that fateful fight with Signum, and how the little demon had sacrificed herself to allow Nanoha to escape. "Really? How?"

"She's not sure, just that she learned Agito was a prisoner of the Bureau, but that's not the only surprise we have for you," Rio hinted, smiling mysteriously as she handed the brunette a data pad. "Astounded us, too, when it came over the secret communication channel that Karel and Liera's resistance group on Earth normally contacts us with. We kept our group small on purpose, but now that we have this, we've been activating our sleeper cells in preparation."

Nanoha took a look at the image of handwritten scribbles that read:

_It's time._

_Be ready._

_I'll find you._

The scrawls were familiar, and for a moment, she had an image of color pictures that a certain child used to draw. "It can't be... Vivio?"

"Someone call my name?" came a voice Nanoha was intimately acquainted with.

The brunette glanced up, now noticing she was in some sort of board meeting room, a pair of familiar faces on the other side of the table. She wasted no time crossing over. "Vivio!"

"Good too see you again, mama," the other woman offered, hugging back just as tightly. "I missed you, too."

"I see you brought Einhart with you, but where is Ix?" Nanoha questioned looking around as she, pulled back, not seeing the little girl.

"She's down in the teleportation room, overseeing the transfer of Mariage," came another familiar voice.

Nanoha turned to see a purple-haired summoner enter the room. "Lutecia! I thought you might be how Vivio planned to get to Mid-Childa. But won't the Bureau detect the teleportation?"

She shook her head. "I've gotten pretty good at it, and I helped Corona tweak the industrial teleporter downstairs. We make the jumps small and hide the signal in background radiation noise. We also have a relay that helps reduce the signature. We shouldn't be detected unless drones are nearby when we bring things in." She paused, as if noticing something was off for the first time, and walked back to the door, grabbing someone's arm and pulling them in. "And I managed to bring this guy along as I promised"

"Erio!" Nanoha exclaimed as the summoner pulled the tall, bushy-bearded man in. "You made it as well!"

He looked almost embarrassed to be there, but nodded in her direction. "I'm here, yes. I still think this is crazy, but someone managed to convince me."

"Garyuu can be most persuasive," Lutecia stated simply, her eyes twinkling, then her posture changed. "Rio, the other resistance leaders are ready. Shall I bring them in?"

Rio nodded, smiling. "Yes, it's about time to begin."

Nanoha's brow furrowed slightly. "Begin what?"

Rio tossed a fearsome, enthusiastic grin in her direction. "The strategy meeting in which we will plan out exactly how we're gonna take down the Bureau."

x~~*~~x

"...a Bureau outpost in the southeast has been vandalized and burned to the ground, there are several villages on Apis that have been refusing to pay taxes, and we've lost contact with several of the squads we've left on Supools," the female tech reported.

Hayate looked up from the holoscreen. "I can see that from this list of issues in your formal report. We have various incidents, both minor and major, brewing on several worlds. There has always been a certain level of dissent, but it hasn't been this high since before the war."

"[It can't be a coincidence,]" Rein told her the obvious thought they were both having.

"[I know,]" Hayate replied, sighing and closing the windows. "[I don't know how Nanoha has done it, but I think she's sowed the seeds of rebellion on several worlds. Her reputation as Seikou is spreading like wildfire, and the current rumor is that she plans to take down the Bureau singlehandedly. However, I don't believe she is working alone.]" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "[But I know what you're getting at; each of these issues will require troops to deal with, so it's obvious they are trying to get me to spread my forces thin. If I don't, the rebellion will grow, and several worlds will fall into anarchy.]"

Out loud, she ordered, "Call all reserve units back from their vacations, and split two legions off from Earth, diverting them as needed to the hot zones."

"[You're going to fall for the obvious trap, anyway?]" Rein questioned.

"[If Nanoha comes here, I'll still have enough troops to deal with her,]" Hayate replied with a heavy heart, then folded her hands in front of her face. "[And I have a few more things in reserve waiting for her, if she even tries.]"

x~~*~~x

Givo sighed in relief, having finally freed himself from Layla and her partying friends. He genuinely liked them as people; after all, he did go through a lot to help them escape. But he didn't like having his leash pulled around like that; he preferred to decide for himself where to go.

"Hello," came a light, but curious female voice.

Givo blinked at the girl sitting on the table, alternately swinging her legs. "Um, hi." What surprised him the most was that she seemed about his age, so what was she doing around here in a rebel base? "Who are you?"

"Ixpellia, but you can call me Ix," she told him with a smile. "What is your name?"

"Givo," he replied almost automatically. "Givo Mellowan. What are you doing here?"

She graced him with a kind smile. "I'm here with my friends to lend assistance."

"You're a mage, too?" he inquired, walking up to her, and she scooted over a bit so he could sit down next to her.

She shook her head. "No, I am not. Are you?"

"Yep!" he answered pridefully, jutting a thumb at his chest. "Already I've helped take out several stronger mages, so I'll be fighting with them. But what about you? How are you helping?" For some reason, there was something about her that really confused him, something about her attitude and mannerisms. But why was she here and able to help, if she wasn't a mage?

"I'll be fighting, too, in a way," she replied, a twinkle of mystery in her eye.

He took another glance at her small body. "You don't look very strong, so how can you fight at all?"

Just then, the huge teleportation pad in the center of the room, which had somehow escaped his notice earlier, flared to life, materializing several identical-looking women, which Ix pointed to. "With those. They are all under my control. They're kinda like robots."

Givo stared as they walked in lock step unison and entered a pair of double doors on a side wall, temporarily allowing him to see dozens more inside. He swallowed nervously.

x~~*~~x

"...and think about it, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," Nove continued nervously."My sis, err, the defendant is a combat cyborg who has fought for the Bureau her entire life; why would she betray it? This does not make sense! There's nowhere else for her to go, other than the Bureau she's known all her life. She's a combat cyborg in a Bureau of mages, but this doesn't make sense. None of these charges make sense! If the crimes don't fit, you must acquit. The defense rests."

Silence descended on the courtroom as Nove took her seat beside her client, who promptly elbowed her and sent a telepathic message. "[What do you think you're doing?]"

"[The best I can!]" Nove hissed back. "[You're just lucky I managed to get a suspended sentence so I could assist you after Teana disappeared. I've just been trying to stretch things out, hoping Teana would return to take over again. I'm not a lawyer!]"

Wendi blew out a breath and rubbed her temples. "[I'm doomed.]"

"Ahem, well, yes, all rise," the judge declared. "The jury will now deliberate. If a verdict of guilty is returned, then at that time I shall pronounce sentence, which shall be carried out after a few days. The court is now adjourned."

[Wherever you are, Teana, you better get your ass back here as soon as possible,] Nove thought glumly to herself.

x~~*~~x

Nanoha sighed and rubbed her temples; the strategy meeting, such as it was, didn't seem to accomplish much, although Rio said it went as well as she hoped. The biggest surprise was that they wanted her to lead the whole thing.

_"To be blunt, none of the people under my command trusts the Saint Church," one of the rebel leaders informed her point-blank. "They fought the war, true, but gave up, meaning a lot of people died for nothing. That rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. They are willing to fight beside the church now, but we can't have a church person in charge."_

_"That's why you have to take ultimate leadership," Rio explained. "You are the only person here that everyone will trust doing so. You don't belong to the church, and Seikou already has several impressive victories to her reputation. With you leading, everyone else will feel they have a chance."_

_"But I don't... that wasn't..." Nanoha started to say as the eyes of everyone at the table focused on her; she was used to functioning as a captain, commanding a small unit at best, but there were reasons she had turned down promotions during her tenure in the Bureau, and it wasn't just because she wanted to teach._

_Vivio laid a hand on her arm. "I know what you're trying to say, but you just have to let it be. For better or worse, this is the only way we can unite everyone." When Nanoha continued to be speechless, Vivio smiled and added, " Congratulations... General Seikou."_

After her reluctant acceptance, the meeting had devolved into a mess of deciding whose troops would be involved in what operation and where; Shante's Church knights would be here, while Jayce's Wheeled Warriors would be over there, etc. Also, who would qualify as captains, or what positions in the chain of command they'd assume. Personally, Nanoha thought it was ridiculous; their very future was on the line, and they were arguing politics. In that respect, she was looking forward to what she hoped would be a simpler conversation.

"Are you getting everything you need?" she inquired as she stepped inside.

Teana's head came up from the other side of the cell door. "Nanoha. I figured you'd come sooner or later. I know they're going to attack Clanagan. They haven't said as much, but the air around here feels charged; they're preparing for something."

"And you want me to stop it?" Nanoha questioned, sitting down on a stool opposite the female prisoner.

"I think it's pointless and will lead to a lot of unnecessary death, so yeah, I think it should be stopped," the ex-Director replied frankly. "But I don't think they will, so what I want is to join it."

That only surprised Nanoha a little. "You want to save Wendi and Nove, is that it? I can promise you that we'll do our best to free them."

"I need to be there to ensure that!" Teana shot back, her frustration clearly audible. "Look, I don't think Hayate has done a bad job, and yet I understand why those people are fighting. I don't entirely agree with them, but I'm willing now to negotiate on that point. But if you go in there half-cocked with that so-called army of yours and try to free them, you'll only end up getting my sisters killed!"

"I can't tell you much, but you'll just have to trust us that we have a plan," Nanoha offered, debating on how much to tell the woman. On one hand, she could understand her frustrations and concerns, but on the other, there was no guarantee that Teana wouldn't turn around and betray them. The old Nanoha might have trusted her with more information to lay her mind at ease, but... "I'll see what I can do about letting you participate in the battle, but other than that, you'll just have to trust-"

The gun mage shook her head. "You don't understand. None of you understand. You think you're going to fly in there and fight Hayate and win with a bit of a struggle, like you did when you fought me. But that's not going to happen; Hayate's strong, incredibly strong. And I'm not talking about the Bureau's military might, but her personally. Hayate's magic has grown considerably over the years, so much that the old rank system was inadequate. She's given herself a new rank, that only she possesses: G-class."

"There is more to magical combat than power," Nanoha chided. "I thought I taught you that, when you were concerned about your own magic level."

Teana was a silent for a moment, and when she spoke again, it was low with a tinge of... fear? Awe? "There was this time, not long before the war, when several of the Bureau's AAA and S-ranked Aces hacked the limiter system, removed their own limiters, and took over the central spire while Hayate was away in order to protest her policies. I wasn't sure if Hayate would relent, or order an orbital bombardment from a cruiser." If it was even possible, her voice took on a more deathly tone. "But she didn't do either. In order to protect the city and it's people, she cast a wide-ranging dimensional barrier that just included herself and the half-dozen or so high-ranked mages. When it went down nearly 30 minutes later, all the hostile targets had been apprehended, and the spire and surrounding area was still intact. Hayate's barrier jacket was barely singed.

Nanoha felt her mouth go dry as Teana's head came up, an almost wild desperation in her eyes. "So you see, you don't stand a chance! Even if you work past her army, you can't beat her! Go ahead with this crazy plan if you must, but let me at least protect my sisters from it!"

The gun mage's tone and words were very convincing, and Nanoha almost felt herself get pulled in by it; however... "No one is invincible. And the moment you think you are, is the moment you allow yourself to be defeated. Hayate will have a weakness, and I'll find it."

Teana stared at her as if she had grown a second head, and then sighed. "That idealism you used to talk about... I hope it works for you this time."

Nanoha smiled grimly. "Me too."

x~~*~~x

"Over here!" Vivio called, getting her mother's attention by waving from across the room. "We have a few more surprises for you."

"Laguna!" Nanoha exclaimed upon coming closer, noticing the woman in the small group with Vivio, Lutecia, Erio, Rio, and Corona. "I didn't expect to see you here."

When Vivio told her to meet her down in the teleportation warehouse later after she talked to Teana, Nanoha certainly didn't expect this.

The eye-patched woman shrugged. "That girl over there found me, and I guess I got caught up in the Lutecia express."

Nanoha glanced over, now noticing the other familiar face talking to a rebel whom she was partially obscured by. "Isis, you did make it after all!"

The cyborg mage waved goodbye to the man she was talking to and crossed the short distance to the small group. "I wondered why you gave me those names. Sounds like you're getting to bust up some Bureau heads and could use all the help you could get, so I brought a couple others as well." She pointed across the room, where Nanoha noticed Togu meditating in a corner while Rose attempted to talk to him. "Both of them were upset that the underground ring was destroyed and wanted some payback. Well, at least Rose did. Togu only said something about wanting to test his skills."

Rose nodded in her direction, when she noticed Nanoha looking over that way, and even Togu cracked an eye open and smiled slightly.

"Thanks to you, we have quite a few more reinforcements that we didn't expect," Rio said with a twinkle in her eye. "We received some supplies and extra personnel from Supools, and Otto, Deed, and Verossa made it as well."

"Hey, Givo, there you are!" Layla suddenly called, entering the room and heading over to the boy sitting next to Ix. "You left so suddenly."

Nanoha couldn't help but smile at the expression of fear that came across the boy's face.

"Lu, what's wrong?" Erio asked curiously, drawing Nanoha's attention back over.

"I'm not sure, Kerykeion just came online," the summoner noted, lifting her right hand where the twin orbs on the bracelet were glowing softly. "I think it's indicating something."

"But they've been dormant ever since Caro..." Erio started to say, then trailed off.

The summoner stepped out and swung her hand her hand around the room, and then crossed the room while everyone else followed until they were standing in front of Layla, the orbs glowing even more brightly. Lutecia stared at her. "It's you..."

Layla glanced nervously at the group now studying her. "It's me, what?"

"Lu, are you saying that she is..." Erio started to say, to which the summoner nodded, and then he glanced up at her. "Caris?"

"No, I'm Layla," the increasingly nervous woman corrected, glancing back and forth between all the faces studying her

"But you're my daughter," Erio stated in awe, stepping forward. "You're about the right age, and have the right hair and eye color... you look just like her. Don't you remember me, Caris? Or your mother? You were lost to us when you were 8, during the war."

Layla took a step back. "I.. I don't remember; my parents died during the war, and I was adopted. I was told they died!"

"Your real name is Caris Mondail," Lutecia stated, holding Kerykeion closer. "Asclepious confirms what Kerykeion is indicating. You were left with family friends when Erio and Caro went to war, but a Bureau raid on the village killed them. When Erio returned from the Battle of Clanagan, he found the house had gone up in flames. He thought you were dead. He's your father, though."

Layla's eyes were wild as she stared at the other woman, and then at the approaching bushy-bearded man, and spoke with a very unsteady and wavering voice, "N-no, I-I'm sorry, but my parents are dead!"

Helpless, Nanoha watched the young woman sprint from the room and then glanced up at Erio, his face almost unreadable, but a mix of hope, shock, and sadness in his eyes.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

I was hoping some might have seen that coming, but in retrospect talking to others when I posted the rough draft, I still caught quite a few people by surprise. It probably seems like I'm throwing too much at the reader for them to keep track of, and looking back at what I've done so far, I remember places where I could have probably snipped some things out to make this shorter. At the very least, this fic has been a good learning experience for me, though. Going into the endgame here, though, I'll try to re-emphasize and restate the important stuff to keep track of, and streamline the plot by dropping a few of the things I had planned. We'll see. I do know a lot of people have their own particular characters they want to see more of, and some characters they don't care about, but I'm doing the best I can trying to juggle and give everyone their own spotlight.

I do have a curious question for those who read this: Do you see her as "Nanoha" or as "Seikou"? It was something I got into a discussion with someone about, that she sees her more as Seikou. I admit, I've kinda seen her as Nanoha, using Seikou as an alias, but I always find other people's opinions on things interesting. Readers often find things in a work that the author included only by accident, or didn't intend, heh.

.


	29. The Longest Night

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 29: The Longest Night**

Xx~~*~~xX

"The last unit is in position," Einhart reported.

Nanoha nodded in acknowledgment while glancing out the window of the multistory dilapidated office building. Sprawled out in front of her were the outskirts of Clangan where she remembered giving newbies like Teana and Subaru rank tests, and just beyond that, lay the city itself behind a several hundred meter high wall. That part was new, presumably built during the war, but she still felt a sense of nostalgia, not the least of which was because her journey as a clone had started here, and now, in what seemed like ages but was really a few months, she had returned to the place of her birth.

Vivio fiddled with a couple of switches on a small box. "Ready here, too, if you are. The troops will be a bit nervous and it would really help to hear from you... General Seikou."

Nanoha couldn't help but smile; her daughter was still taking a bit of delight in teasing her with that. She shook her head and tapped her ear piece, making sure it was active that was currently hooked up by a wire to the communication box Vivio had been fiddling with. The box itself was an encryption and directional short-range broadcast device that would minimize chance of detection and interception by Bureau forces. One of the other prototype devices created by Caledfwlch Techniques, but ultimately abandoned due to limited operational use.

She took a deep breath as her mind flashed over all that she had gone through; the trials, the tribulations, the sadness of loss, and the feelings of despair, and ultimately the hope that had been spawned from that. In particular, her mind drifted back over the past week...

x~~*~~x

"And I say my group should be going up the middle as the head vanguard force!" Jayce, one of the resistance leaders, proclaimed.

"We've been over this," Shante groaned, a sentiment shared by several at the table. Nanoha had learned recently that the woman had once been an apprentice of Schach, and was now leader of a sleeper cell of about a hundred church knights that were recently re-activated. "Your possession of numerous combat vehicles better suits you to being a cavalry unit, staying loose and shoring up weak areas."

Nanoha sighed and rubbed her temples. As far as she knew, those combat vehicles were mainly older automobiles, retrofitted with odd assortments of weaponry. And his group behaved more like a gang of thugs, than any sort of army. Still, they needed everyone they could get if this was going to work, although she found all this arguing tiresome.

"Let's backtrack a bit and go over what we have currently," Rio stated, breaking up the impending argument. "In a few days, we have a couple of ships that will arrive in orbit and engage any Bureau cruisers present, with the goal of keeping them occupied. We're agreed that Sein, Otto, and Deed will sneak in prior to the attack for two purposes, the first of which is to free the prisoners within and provide a nice chaotic distraction in the Bureau's rear. The second of which is to take the Bureau's main teleportation center out of commission so Hayate can't bring in reinforcements. These attacks will coincide with the time our ships arrive. Any disagreements?

Rio glanced around the table, but there were none, so she continued. "Now, we've decided to sneak into the old quarter of Clanagan, otherwise now known as the ghetto; the ruined buildings on the outskirts. Clanagan has two walls, and outer and an inner. The outer wall separates the outskirts from the town proper, and the inner wall separates the central administrate buildings from the town. Since the outer wall is heavily monitored and thus preventing us from directly infiltrating the city, we'll start our attack from the old quarter once we receive the signals of the infiltration team accomplishing their objectives. Once the wall has been breached, we'll proceed through the city to the inner wall. Our goal is the central spire; if we can take that and Hayate prisoner, we can make our demands. The disagreements stem from whose unit wants to be where."

"That's also a gross simplification," another resistance leader declared, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not going to be that easy; Hayate is no fool, and from what rumors say, she's incredibly strong."

"That's why we have Seikou leading us," Rio countered, trying to keep her temper. "She'll engage Hayate and take her out of the fight, so we have to handle everything else. She can't win this alone; the rest of us need to secure our targets." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Look, most of the Bureau army is on Earth or spread around the galaxy attempting to suppress various incidents that our associates have encouraged and/or instigated; our window of opportunity here is small. All Hayate has is her various Enforcer and city guard units, which number about 200 men, and the partial armies of Generals Signum and Vita, which total total a combined 700-800 men. We have the Homeworld Security Director in custody, and our sources tell us that Enforcer Commander Fate has taken some leave. Hayate will never be weaker than she is now, so we only have one shot at this!"

"And that's why my group should-" Jayce started to say, but didn't get further, as Nanoha had risen to her feet and formed her spear, fixing him with a pointed look.

"What Rio is trying to say, is that we need to put aside our differences and work together," Nanoha stated evenly, still a bit uncomfortable with this role. She didn't mind being a captain, but a General - never mind leader of the entire rebel force! - was a bit much. "I agree with the current positioning of your division as a calvary unit , Captain Jayce, and will count on your support. If you feel you're are better placed elsewhere, I can evaluate your combat ability personally."

She put a bit of extra emphasis on that last word, which quickly quieted him down. Everyone present was aware of her (somewhat distorted) reputation, and none were quick to put it to the test. Despite that, Nanoha honestly considered shooting the lot of them until fell in line, but for the moment, her presence was enough to keep them together... barely.

She sighed and sat down, glancing over at Erio who was barely paying attention to the proceedings. She didn't blame him; Layla/Caris had been avoiding him for a couple of days now, apparently not wanting to talk about it. Nanoha wasn't entirely certain as to why, although such a revelation could be a shocking thing for anyone to find out, and Nanoha guessed it would take time. Still, she hoped it would be resolved soon, as she didn't need Erio going into combat distracted like that, but she wasn't entirely sure what to do about it.

Plus, she had her own issues to worry about.

x~~*~~x

_"I can't breathe..." came the gasp. "Can't use magic... must keep Starlight Breaker going to drain the gathered mana or my friends will... but she has me... feeling so weak... Aaaah!"_

_"Nanoha, calm down and focus on the face in front of you," Lutecia commanded. "Who is she?"_

_"Old... so old... can't see... going dim... NOOOO!"_

Lutecia had Asclepious stop the playback. "I brought you out of it right after that. I'm not a psychologist, so I can't tell for sure what this all means; I just know some hypnotism. I'm glad that you decided to talk to me about this, though."

Nanoha swallowed, still a bit shaken by what she had heard herself say. "Thank you. This was a bit of a long shot, but I had to try."

"You'd really need a telepathic specialist, or perhaps Agito to look inside your mind," the summoner postulated, and then sighed. "As for these dreams, I don't really know what to say. But it at least seems like whoever killed you targeted you deliberately, as if they held quite a grudge. And the manner of your death was quite odd; they were actively draining your life, which has some disturbing connotations based on what we now know thanks to Verossa."

Nanoha stared at the woman, wondering why she didn't see the connection before. "Yes, that's exactly it! From what I understand from Verossa's notes, those life-extension machines do the same thing; take life from others, and use it to extend the life of another. Who invented them and when?"

Lutecia scratched her head. "I think it was the Bureau's head scientist, Mariel Atenza. And that happened... in 0089 or 0090, I think? I was a bit surprised to learn that they take life from others, though. If that's the truth, the Bureau is doing a really good job covering it up. Then again, those machines are tightly controlled and only select personnel get access to them."

"I knew Mariel, and never would have thought she would have invented something like this," Nanoha stated, thinking, and then stood up. "I'll have to talk to Rio and make Mariel's capture one of the priorities. I need to know how she came up with the technology, and why. It could hold a clue as to who... killed me, and why."

"Well, I'm glad I could be of some assistance, even if it creates more questions than it answers," Lutecia said, reaching out to gently squeeze Nanoha's shoulder. "I hope this doesn't cause you too much extra concern."

Nanoha recalled an earlier conversation from the combat medic who gave her a physical checkup: "_I can't find anything too wrong with you. You're under a lot of stress, obviously, and your body is a bit fatigued, but I can't tell if it's breaking down or anything. You'd need a real doctor and better equipment than we have here; I'm just a medic. However, I can clear you for combat; just be careful out there."_

Nanoha smiled warmly and bowed. "Not too much extra. Thank you, Lutecia."

x~~*~~x

"You aren't with Layla?" Ix asked, coming into the training room where Givo was working on his magic.

"She's been weird for awhile now," he confessed, concentrating and then releasing a white magical bolt that sped down the room and hit just to the right of the far target. He sighed. "Normally she'd be grabbing me and pulling me around or something, which is annoying. But she's been focused on work lately and hasn't talked to me much."

Ix smiled warmly. "You miss the attention she gives you."

Givo forming magical bolt promptly fizzled with a pop. "What? No! I'm glad she isn't pestering me! The only person I took that from was my mom, and no one is going to replace her! "

"I didn't say anything about her being your mom," the girl noted with a small smile.

"Urk," Givo grunted, then doubled his focus on the spell again, gathering magical energy between his palms before releasing it. "Photon Shooter!" This time, the magical shot hit the target dead center. "Ha! See that!"

Ix shrugged, unimpressed. "I've seen Vivio fire stronger spells."

"Oh yeah?" Givo steamed, beginning to gather his magic again. "How about this?"

Ix's eyes widened as the ball started growing larger and larger, so much so that Givo switched to holding his hands up, forming the magical sphere above his head. "Um, perhaps you shouldn't do more than that..." Ix suggested when the globe's growth paused, Givo panting with the effort.

"I'm... not... done... yet!" he grunted out, gritting his teeth together as the sphere grew bigger than he was.

For a moment, Ix thought he was handling it decently well, and then the sphere began to destabilize and she jumped behind a partition right before it exploded. She popped her head back up to see if it was safe, and then walked over to the young boy laying flat on his back, clothes singed and eyes closed. However, his heavy breathing let her know that he was still alive, and it brought her some relief.

"Are you alright?" she inquired.

"Fine," he spat out, eyes still closed.

"Maybe you should go talk to Layla and let her know how you feel or something?" Ix suggested, tactfully avoiding what had just happened by referring to the earlier issue.

Givo just grunted noncommittally.

x~~*~~x

"You wanted to see me?" Nanoha asked, stepping into what was once a lab and finding a few people waiting for her.

Corona looked up, a small jewel on the table. "Oh yes, Lutecia and I finished strengthening Raging Heart; you should be able to use it to its limits now. You're lucky that, despite being abandoned, this place still had quite a few parts in storage."

"Still, we're outnumbered, and a bit outgunned," Lutecia noted, her tone a bit worrisome. "We had more people during the first battle of Clanagan, and we still lost."

"Things will be different this time," Rio assured her in a confident tone while crossing her arms over her chest. "Hayate had more troops then as well, and the advantage of surprise with the giants. But we have a few surprises for her this time, with the Mariage and some special weapons. Being technological, they won't be affected by the powerful anti-magic fields, if Hayate chooses to use them this time. If she does, she'll hamstring her own units more."

"I don't have a relic this time, so I won't be quite as strong as I was, but I feel the same as Rio," Vivio added, then grinned. "And we have my mama this time, too! Although Einhart and I will be there to watch her back."

"Still, about 250 men, not all of which are mages, and a little over 400 Mariages, vs the nearly 1300+ troops Hayate could have at her disposal," Corona reported, running the numbers. "Maybe another 200 or so, depending on if other forces scattered around Mid-Childa make it to the battle." Mid-Childa was actually fairly sparsely populated, with more ocean than land, and most towns and villages somewhat small.

"An attacker can always threaten more areas than a defender can adequately defend," Nanoha stated, one of the lessons she used to give the students she taught. "Hayate will have to deploy her forces a bit thin at first. And never underestimate the value of surprise, either."

The summoner appeared a bit chagrined, showcasing an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry, I suppose I'm a bit anxious since I was involved in the last Clanagan conflict. It was an... intense and emotional battle."

Nanoha nodded sympathetically, understanding exactly what she meant; the loss Lutecia experienced was directly related to one of the current issues. "We won't lose anyone this time. But speaking of which, where is Erio? Is he doing any better?"

"Not the last time I saw him," Lutecia replied, sighing. "Well, he's doing as well as expected, getting his hopes up upon finding his daughter, but upset that she's been avoiding him."

Vivio smiled grimly, a strange twinkle in her eye. "I think Einhart is... talking to him."

Nanoha didn't ask her to elaborate, but glanced around. "By the way, what kind of things were developed here? You said it was a research facility."

"Mostly device research, which is why there are parts available, but there are still some prototype weapons in that room over there," Corona explained, gesturing while Nanoha trotted over and stepped inside after turning on the light. "Main research and development was eventually moved to Vaizen, but some of the prototypes still exist here in various states of build. I've been fiddling with them off and on, hoping to put them to use against the giants that protect Clanagan, but there have been a few power issues with not many people able to handle-"

The room shook slightly as an explosive discharge came from the side room, and the four women quickly rushed over to glance inside.

And stared as Nanoha stood there in front of a smoking crater in the wall, holding one of the prototypes emblazoned with the moniker: CW-AEC02X. She turned back around, looking a bit embarrassed. "Oops! But this has a good weight and feel to it; Corona, think you can tweak it for me?"

Corona blinked. "I... suppose."

x~~*~~x

Fist deflected spear thrust and Einhart used the opening to shift inside Erio's guard and deliver a charged fist to his mid-section. He almost managed to reverse his momentum in time, but the impact still sent him skidding back several meters. Einhart followed up with a leaping punch that the spear knight barely rolled out of the way of, and while the Kaiser Arts master was briefly obscured by dust, Erio charged up a spell.

"Photon Lancer," Strada intoned, sending several bolts that cut through the cloud, revealing that his target was no longer there.

"Kaiser Arts: Cyclonic Wave!"

Erio barely managed to spin and get a shield up to block the projectile attack in time, now noticing that Einhart had used the moment to outflank him. Still, the attack distracted him long enough for Einhart to come in from the other side, and when he brought up his spear to slash, the Kaiser Arts master managed to grab the shaft with both hands, locking the two in a pure strength clash.

"You are barely keeping up," Einhart noted, her face calm despite the struggle. "What happened to that speed and fierceness that I remember, when we used to practice together?"

The spear knight's expression darkened, but Strada did his talking for him: "Thunder Rage."

Lightning bolts came pouring down as the two sprang away from each other, pausing for a moment to study each others conditions and stance while Erio finally answered. "Okay, so I'm a bit out of shape; I haven't been doing much fighting for the past 20 years."

"Perhaps," Einhart replied, spreading her legs a bit wider in preparation to spring. "But your mind is also distracted because of your daughter."

Erio's eyes narrowed. "Can you blame me? I lost her about the same time I lost Caro. At least with Caro, I knew what happened, but I was never able to find Caris! And now that I have, she doesn't want to see me! How can I face her mother knowing that?"

Einhart shot forward, left fist outstretched. Erio, surprised at such a direct attack, put up a shield to block against it, but his opponent opened her left fist and grabbed the shield. After a bit of a pull, she shattered it and came in with her right fist, but Erio had spun out the and was swinging towards her head with his spear. She continued to turn, ducking down under the attack and executing a roundhouse with her leg that slammed into Erio's gut and flung him into the wall.

She paused, somehow looking down at him despite him being physically taller. "Ixpellia really isn't my daughter. We treat her that way sometimes to spoil her, but Vivio and I both realize she is her own person; she is more our friend than anything else. We trust that she'll come to us if she has a problem and we enjoy each others company, but she knows she's under no obligation to recognize us. That is your problem; she may not be Caris, but she is Layla. Caro was my friend, too, and so I feel a duty to tell you to just let her come to you on her own when she is ready. She is alive; be happy for that! When and if she is ready for you to be a parent, or just a friend, she will let you know."

Erio eased himself out of the wall indent, lowering his weapon as he considered her words. "I know that! But I still feel a hole inside. Perhaps I do need her more than she needs me; but for me, she is all I have left of Caro. How can I call myself a father?"

"Then you will throw her aw-"

Einhart didn't get a chance to respond, as Erio came charging straight in with spear thrusters blazing, almost too fast for the Kaiser Arts master to deal with. Still, she managed to barely twist out of the way as the spear tip grazed her barrier jacket and send her elbow at his face, but the spear's side thrusters fired and spun him around it, aiming for her backside. She continued her turn, bringing her other fist around to smash his head.

In the next moment, both froze, her fist inches from his face, and his spear tip millimeters from her neck.

Einhart smiled, pleased as she glanced into his eyes and found deadly fierceness burning within. "Good. It is still in there. That's what we will need in three days. Clear your mind and focus on the fight in front of us, and your friends will help you with your daughter when the battle is over. Consider that your motivation." She lowered her fist, and after a moment, he reciprocated by returning Strada to watch form, then surprised her by holding out his hand.

"Thank you."

She nodded and took his forearm, gripping tightly. "Your welcome."

x~~*~~x

"What'cha doin' out here?" Givo inquired, coming into view. "I thought we weren't supposed to be out here? The enemy could see us."

Layla shrugged from where she sat on the fallen log and patted the space beside her without taking her eyes from the night sky. "I'll take the chance. The battle takes place tomorrow night, so this is my last chance to gaze at the stars."

He sat down and looked up through the break in the forest above. "Can't you do this later after we've won?"

"I suppose, but it's been a small tradition in our unit to reflect on the longest night," she replied.

"The longest night?" he questioned.

A fond smile appeared on her face "The night before each mission, where most of the plans and tactics have been committed to heart, the weapons and supplies checked and rechecked, and all that remains is the waiting, which can seem like forever. My unit commander in my old resistance cell used to tell us to take the 24 hours before to reflect alone, to remember what what it is we're fighting for. I suppose we'll have a pretty long night tomorrow as well."

"I don't understand, don't we already know what we're fighting for?" he asked, then his face became firm. "At least, I do."

Layla's smile grew. "Oh? To protect your girlfriend, perhaps?"

"What!" he shrieked in surprise, his face taking on a slight blush. "I don't have a-"

"Oh, but it's the talk of the town, the way you and that Ix girl have been hanging out," she teased, poking his side. "And the way you so readily agreed to stay behind and protect the rear base camp, which is where she'll be."

He reddened a bit more, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmph. I'd rather be out there and taking the revenge on the Bureau that took my parents form me, but..." His tone softened and he looked down at his hands. "I know I'm still not too good with magic yet. I know I wouldn't be able to do much. Seikou showed me that."

Layla recalled that she had given him a training session or two, reminding him of just how far he had to go. "Cheer up. I'll be in the rear base camp as well, assisting Lutecia who has been teaching me a few things, so I'll be nearby. I'd rather be in there, but my magical style is better suited to a support position."

It was quiet for a few minutes after that, as both returned to stargazing, but Givo broke the silence to ask, "Why won't you talk with your father? I heard you found him several days ago."

The lines of her jaw tightened a bit, but then she sighed. "It's... complicated. At first, I felt kinda cornered and wasn't sure how to react. I don't recognize him, let alone remember him! Of course, I had amnesia when I was found and placed with my foster parents, and while I knew they weren't my real ones, I loved them just the same. I guess it's just a bit sudden, and I'm not ready to replace them with a guy I hardly know." The corners of her lips tugged upwards. "Is there anyone who can replace your mom or dad?"

"Of course not!" he blurted out immediately, and then asked, "But it's a bit different, as they were my real parents, and your real parent is still alive."

"Perhaps I'm not ready to be a daughter to someone else," she mused thoughtfully. "I've been on my own for 10 years now, and I don't know even know what he expects of me."

"You won't know unless you talk to him," Givo pointed out.

The simple answer was something to be expected from a kid, but surprisingly, for Layla, it put everything into focus. "Heh, I suppose so. Thanks." She ruffled his hair again. "But it's late, you should go get some sleep. I'll head back in a bit."

Even more surprisingly, he hopped down off the log without much of a fuss. "Alright, seeya tomorrow."

After he disappeared back into the forest, Layla sighed, "How much did you hear?"

Erio stepped out from behind a tree, but kept his distance. "I apologize, I didn't mean to spy, but when I got here you two were talking and I didn't want to intrude. I just want to say I won't put any pressure on you; just knowing you're alive is fine with me. I don't expect anything, and if you want to continue going by Layla, that's okay."

She sighed, still not looking his way. "No, I'm sorry. As I told Givo, it was just a bit sudden, and I had grown used to the fact that my parents were dead. I don't know how I feel about this yet, but I won't avoid you anymore." She finally turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you shave?"

Erio nodded, smiling wryly while reaching up to rub his chin, now devoid of facial hair. "Lu told me I should clean myself up a bit. But anyway, that's fine with me; that's all I wanted to say. Take care of yourself in the battle tomorrow."

She finally graced him with a hesitant smile. "You, too."

x~~*~~x

Nanoha smiled as Erio walked away, waiting a bit to see if Layla had noticed her presence. But she didn't and Nanoha decided not to press her luck and thus decided to head back as well. She was just glad things had been resolved enough between them. She had originally come to talk to Layla, but she didn't consider it necessary any longer; those two could work things out on their own from now on.

Of course, her own issues had only brought up more questions, mostly in regards to Mariel. But one way or another, she was going to get her answers tomorrow.

x~~*~~x

"This is General Seikou to all forces," she began, her mind coming back to the present and focusing on the people who were looking to her for leadership, guidance, and most of all, the hope of victory. "Tonight, we join with others from around the world and the dimensional sea. And you will all be fighting together for a single cause, in the single largest confrontation that any of you will have experienced. Right now, our brethren on other worlds are giving us a chance, an opportunity to strike. It's not going to be easy, but we are going to win. Not because of physical or magical strength, but because we fight for every man, woman, and child in the dimensional sea. No matter who we are or where we come from, we fight for freedom, and for a chance to shape the future for ourselves.

She allowed her thoughts to drift to her comrades, both old and new, hidden in their locations, briefly wondering how they were holding up. "So we fight not just against tyranny or oppression, but for a world everyone can live in. I can't tell you exactly how this will turn out, but I know that history will remember this day as the day we fought with all our might, in order that we could return to our families, proud of what we've accomplished.

She paused just for a moment, and smiled. "So watch out for each other, so that each and everyone can return to their loved ones. I don't have anything else to say, other than good luck, and I'll see you on the other side of the victory line. Watch for the starting signals. General Seikou out."

"Good speech, General," Vivio told her, smiling as she disconnected the wire.

Nanoha thanked her, then settled down to wait. While she was in overall command while providing bombardment support, Vivio and Einhart would be protecting her. She had experience being a center guard, so it wasn't a totally foreign situation; the only issue was just who they'd be fighting, and how the fight would go. From here on, they'd try to issue orders on encrypted frequencies, but that all depended on if Hayate jammed all signals or not. But for now, radio silence ruled, as all awaited the signal.

They didn't have to wait long, as on the nose, twin explosions sounded in the distance, proof that Sein's team had started their objectives. As one, rebel mages, normals, and Mariages erupted from their hiding places and advanced on the inner wall, firing at forces they encountered.

The siege of Clanagan had begun.

x~~*~~x

Two Bureau cruisers and half a dozen smaller ships of various configurations emerged from hyperspace. Almost immediately, the lead ship began broadcasting on all frequencies.

"This is Admiral Chrono Harlaown of the TSAB ship _Gil Graham_ to all ships in the Mid-Childa system and beyond," it began, as the leader of the fleet stood in front of his captain's chair. While not technically an admiral, it was a title that everyone else insisted he keep, and the previous captain of the _Graham_ felt strongly enough to give him command of his ship. "This is a joint task force fleet from several worlds who have taken issue with the direction the Bureau has gone. We are not here to invade, nor to cause any harm, but to ask Hayate to step down. Once upon a time, the Naval branch of the Bureau was separate from the Ground branch, a deliberate separation of powers. We ask all Bureau ships to again respect that, by standing down and awaiting the conclusion of the conflict below.

He paused, allowing a small, disarming smile to form. "I was once part of the Bureau, but I could no longer sit by and tolerate the way the Bureau was acting, and thus disappeared from history. I did not want to fight my countrymen and women, nor my friends. And that's what we all are here, friends; let's not fire on our comrades, but find a way forward, together, peacefully."

The broadcast link ended, and Chrono exhaled while collapsing into his captain's chair. "Report."

A female tech manning a forward station responded. "It looks like the party has just started down below; I'm detecting a firefight in the capital."

"What about the ships?" he inquired, as the main screen switched to a tactical display.

"Of the seven cruisers in system, four have begun to move," she replied, although Chrono could see that on the display. "Three are headed in our direction, while the fourth... is headed for the planet!"

Chrono clenched his fist. "They're going to backup Hayate, perhaps even bombard the planet from low orbit. We can't let that happen. Griffith!"

A holoscreen opened to his left, showcasing the captain of the other Bureau cruiser. "I see it, too, and Lucino is readying the _Nova's_ main cannon as well. But it means those three cruisers will get shots at us first."

"We have no choice; we'll fire as soon as we're in range," the fleet admiral told him with a shake of his head, then gestured to his communication tech, who opened another channel. "This is Admiral Chrono to the fleet. All craft disperse and evade; force them to split their attention. Ships of size 5 and lower, increase thrust and engage the target heading for Mid-Childa. The _Nova_ and the _Graham_ will open a path for you. Good luck to us all!"

Out in space, the two ships let loose with their main cannons, white magical energy lancing through the vacuum towards their target. The one enemy ship that was approaching Chrono's makeshift fleet dead on managed to evade it, but they quickly found they weren't the intended destination; the hapless fourth vessel approaching the planet took both shots to its starboard shields. They held for most of the burst, but ultimately failed and some of the energy made it through to strike the hull. The ship began to rotated its axis from the force of the impact, trailing debris, as the captain desperately sought to bring the untouched shields on the other side into play.

Then there was no more time to pay attention to it, as the remaining two approaching craft opened fire with their main cannons as well, although Chrono and Griffith were already evading and thus the shots only grazed their shields instead of a direct impact. The main cannons were potent weapons, but at long ranges there was some leeway to dodge the direct hit, and at short ranges, they suffered from the need to orient the entire vessel; the cruiser that had taken both shots had been mostly caught by surprise, as they didn't expect to be the target. Chrono knew as well as the other ship captains, that this battle would be a game of cat-and-mouse when they closed to short range and used their secondary weapons to whittle away at each other while looking for an opportunity to strike with the main cannon, if it was still operational.

[But still, I'm not sure how long we can keep them occupied,] Chrono thought to himself, keeping an eye on the three ships that had yet to move. While his force was numerically larger, it consisted mainly of civilian and transport vessels, retrofitted with some weapons and shields; one-on-one, they'd never stand a chance against a Bureau warship. [If those other three get involved... Rio, I hope you hurry it up down there!]

x~~*~~x

Thankfully, the week had passed rather peacefully. Fate had ended up staying with the Welnoz family longer than she expected, and she didn't entirely know why at first. But as one day stretched into the next, she realized that seeing Jari, Tarish, and Marin interact reminded her of her times with Erio and Caro, Nanoha and Vivio, and then later Yuuno and Vivio. It also reminded her of her times with Arf, Linith, and the fake memories from Alicia, and then her adoption in the Harlaown family.

And that was the word right there: family.

It had been a long time since she had experienced that, and so had nearly forgotten what it felt like. She wondered when she had stopped considering the importance of family; just that, somewhere along the line, it had faded as a priority. Perhaps her fight with Nanoha had jiggled it loose, letting her know something was missing, and thus why she went searching in the first place. Either way, being here with the Welnoz family was enough for her.

Little did she know it was about to come to a rather unpleasant end.

It started during dinner late one night after the sun had gone down, with a knock at the door, which Jari went to answer. From her vantage point, Fate couldn't see who it was, just that Jari said he'd be right back and for everyone to stay inside and finish their dinner, and then he went outside with whoever it was. Tarish seemed to go deathly still, eating in an almost mechanical manner, but Marin appeared as clueless as Fate was.

Curious, Fate sent a telepathic signal to her device. "[Bardiche, engage enhanced passive listening mode and relay telepathically.]" Almost immediately, the conversation in her head made her eyes widen.

"...already have my wife, who went willingly," Jari was saying. "Please just let me have my daughters. Don't send them to a war zone!"

"You know the rules," a male voice replied sternly. "Every child above the age of five needs to be tested, with testing taking place every five years afterward to see if they've developed a linker core. We've looked the other way for a couple of years now, but pressure is coming down from on high to increase mage recruitment. We'll need to take your daughters in."

"But I thought I was paying you so that you wouldn't!" Jari protested, his voice straining. "I give you nearly the entire stipend I receive from the Bureau! I'll increase what I'm paying, somehow, just don't take them!"

"Perhaps they'll test negative," a female voice soothed. "If so, you'll have them back in a few days. But even if they are mages, the Bureau will take good care of them. But I'm sorry, they have to come with us. Lt. Nevs."

"No!" Jari shouted, and then came the sound of a scuffle, complete with the sound of a magic shot.

"What was that?" Marin asked innocently, informing Fate that both girls had heard that last ominous sound.

"Father!" Tarish suddenly shouted, leaping to her feet and heading for the door.

Marin immediately jumped down to follow her out. "Tarish, what's wrong?"

Conflicted, Fate could only sit there. The Enforcers were only doing their job, which was the law. Perhaps she could punish them for accepting bribes, but she could also understand why they let this slip; after all, Fate had been spending time with this family. But on the other...

"Leave him alone!" Tarish sounded very audibly, now that the front door was open, which was answered by another magic shot.

"FATHER!" Marin screamed, which struck Fate to her core and left her shaking. "TARISH!"

Before she realized it, she had somehow left the dinner table and arrived in the doorway, staring at the scene. A male and female Enforcer were standing there above Jari and Tarish, who were laid out on the ground, moaning.

And Marin running towards them. "Leave them alone!"

A couple of small vines erupted from the ground and began to slowly coil around the Enforcer's legs, but they blasted the mobile vegetation with their staves. "She's a mage!" the female shouted as they turned their attention to Marin.

Fate's perception of time slowed as glowing spheres formed between the prongs of the staves, while Marin continued to run at them in tears and single-minded determination, heedless of the danger.

For the second time, Fate found her body reacting, having activated a Sonic Move without even realizing it. While everything around her slowed to a crawl, she ran down the steps, grabbed the old metal scythe, and cleanly sliced the staves in two with one smooth stroke, ending up behind the pair of Enforcers when time finally returned to normal. As the two stared dumbstruck at their weapons, Fate dropped her weapon and opened her palms while pointing them at the pair's backsides, firing. With a groan, both Enforcers fell forward, out cold.

Fate stared at her trembling hands, trying to still them, and then looked up at the family. "Are you... al... right?"

All three were staring at her, but it was Jari who spoke first. "Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm a mage, too, I guess I should have told you," Fate apologized.

"Miss Rai?" Marin questioned, a note of fear in her voice; she was still quite shaken herself.

"It's your fault they came!" Tarish suddenly and angrily shouted, cradling her left arm in pain as she sat up. "You told the Bureau Marin was a mage, and so they came!"

"I didn't-" Fate tried to protest.

"You're a _Bureau_ mage," the older sister continued to accuse. "I thought you seemed a little funny with how you talked, but I also saw you hiding a device when I went into your room. Only Bureau mages have devices that complex!"

"I think you better leave now," Jari told her evenly, straining as he regained his feet, holding his stomach. "You just made things worse for us."

Fate stared at the family, not knowing what to do or say that would convince them that she hadn't ratted them out. "I-I'm sorry..."

"All units, this is a Class One level emergency!" came a voice over a communicator, which made Fate realize Bardiche was still in passive listening enhancement mode and was picking up faint audio signals from a transceiver. "Clanagan is under attack! I repeat, Clanagan is under attack! All units are to converge on the capital at once!"

Shocked, Fate turned around and reached down, plucking the ear piece from behind the ear of the female Enforcer and putting it on her own ear to better hear what was going on, but the news didn't seem good.

"There is a large space force inbound, and the starport teleporter has been destroyed," the voice continued. "A prison break and riot is in progress in the main Clanagan mage detention facility. Requesting all units backup at once! This is a Class One emergency!"

"I have to go," Fate started to say, then realized that was exactly what they wanted her to do anyway; they were still looking at her with mixtures of hate and disgust, not that Fate could blame them much. From their viewpoint, she had spent the week enjoying their hospitality, and then betrayed them. "Yes, I belong to the Bureau, but I didn't tell them about Marin. I know you won't believe me, but perhaps I can do something about this. I really did enjoy my time with you, and I won't intrude on your family anymore."

She turned to leave, but found a small hand tugging on her sleeve. "Miss Rai? I don't think you're a bad person; you liked my flowers. Please come back someday?"

"Marin!" Tarish hissed, reaching out to grab her sister and pull her back.

Fate stared at the little girl, the naked display of childish innocence causing an ache in her chest and a discomfort in her throat that made it difficult to speak, but she managed to anyway. "I... don't know if I can. But maybe someday, once things are different and you can be a mage and a family without fear. If I can, I'll also bring your mother back to you."

Marin's eyes lit up. "Promise?"

With a new-found strength welling up that came from a clear perspective, Fate nodded. "I promise."

With that, she didn't waste anymore time, but picked up the Enforcers and their broken weapons, tucking them under her arms, and then took to the sky, flying as fast as she could, leaving the Welnoz family behind her.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Yes, I'm being a bit more forthright and blunt about some things, heh. This fic is teaching me a lot of things about writing, and how much I can add, and when I'm being too subtle or putting in too much information. Then again, as a writer, one is forever learning, and sometimes it's difficult to tell exactly when certain lines are crossed. I probably couldn't have known until I wrote this. Personally, I blame everyone who wanted me to continue this thing. :P

Next chapter is entitled "Storm of Battle" for obvious reasons. Expect to see plans coming to fruition in the chaos to come.

Lines considered, but not added, for Nanoha's speech: "We must show them we believe in our beliefs more than they believe in their beliefs." (If you don't know where that comes from, consider yourself lucky!)

"We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

(some astute readers will notice I cribbed a bit from the ID4 speech anyway, heh. _"Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright."_ - Aaron Sorkin)

Another Aaron Sorkin quote that I feel hits me personally:

_"I love writing but hate starting. The page is awfully white and it says, "You may have fooled some of the people some of the time but those days are over, giftless. I'm not your agent and I'm not your mommy. I'm a white piece of paper, you wanna dance with me?" And I really, really don't."_


	30. Storm of Battle

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 30: Storm of Battle**

Xx~~*~~xX

Sein phased out of the wall and into the supply closet, depositing Verossa and Teana next to Deed and Otto. "Okay, you guys are on your own; this is as close as I can get due to time constraints. I have to get in position to hit the starport teleporter in five minutes."

"Good luck, Sein, and thanks!" Verossa offered with a smile as the three waved to their disappearing comrade, and then he reached up to unlock Teana's AMF collar. "Alright, here we go. Be thankful Nanoha got you in on this, due to your knowledge of the interior and routines. We're trusting you."

"Believe me, all I want is to keep my sisters safe," Teana replied, accepting her Cross Mirage device from Deed, who had been holding onto it. "As planned, I'll help you bust this detention center wide open. I'm already hacking into the surveillance network and releasing Corona's computer virus which will send the magic detection grid into diagnostic mode, but it won't last long before they manage to revert it. We'll only have a few minutes."

Verossa placed his hands on the closet door and closed his eyes. "If this goes as planned, we'll only need a few minutes. The patrol just went by as scheduled. Let's move."

He activated his slight transformation magic, altering their faces just enough that, when combined with their fabricated guard outfits, wouldn't draw much suspicion to them. The four slipped out of the closet and strode down the hall, following Teana's direction, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. However, they were taken by surprise when two prison guards emerged from around a corner and headed down the hall straight towards them.

"[I thought patrols were supposed to be 10 minutes apart!]" Deed sent telepathically to the small group, but addressed to Teana in particular. "[That's what you told us! You better not be betraying us.]"

"[That's how it was when I left!]" the ex-Director shot back as the guards came closer, but if they felt anything was out of the ordinary, they gave no sign. "[They must have changed the schedule after, especially since I broke Layla's little group out. This is the second-most secure detention facility in Clanagan, after all. Trust me, there's no reason for me to betray you now. Doing so would be pointless, as I couldn't get off enough of a warning to do anything about your little attack.]"

"[Calm down, both of you,]" Verossa sent with force, shifting to the left side of the hallway, yielding the right of way to the oncoming pair.

All four held their metaphysical breaths, waiting for the inevitable "Hey, you don't belong here!" shout... but it never came. The guards passed without so much as a word continuing down the corridor to the other end. The relief in the air was palatable.

"[Told you,]" Teana groused, the four taking a turn at the T-intersection and entering an elevator. She quickly interfaced her device with the control panel. "[My access codes have probably been revoked, but Cross Mirage can quickly give us clearing for the top level. They'll find out too late that our access is forged.]"

The doors closed and the elevator began it's ascent. While they watched the numbers grow larger, Otto got curious. "[By the way, you said second-most? I thought it would be the primary once, since it houses the most dangerous criminals and outlaw mages. What does the most secure detention facility contain?]"

A grim smile appeared on Teana's face. "[You don't want to know. It's specially reserved for four or five individuals, none of which will be people you want to associate with. And we're here. By my count, we have a little over two minutes, and we'll be challenged upon exiting. We'll have to make this fast.]"

Otto pointed her finger at the door, a green glow forming at the tip. "Then it's time we started."

As soon as the doors swung open, revealing the surprised faces of another pair of guards, Otto fired, the green beams taking the two down. Even before the bodies hit the floor, the four were moving, Otto taking the lead and charging up another, stronger shot.

"Keep moving!" Verossa shouted, barriers, both magical and solid steel, slammed down into place to cut them off.

Otto released her built up energy, blowing a hole through the first pair of magic shields. Deed sprinted ahead and sliced open the last two steel doors, her twin katana cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. While Teana shielded against the magic stun lasers from turrets that had popped out of the ceiling, taking each down with skilled shots, Otto took up the point position again, and began to cut through the final door with a cutting Ray Storm shot.

In the control room, staves were pointed at the door as a red circle was drawn, indicating the intruders were cutting through. Then it was blasted open and numerous dark shapes poured into the room, assaulting the occupants and catching them all by surprise with the nature of the attack.

"What the... dogs?" the inner sanctum guards sputtered in disbelief as they fired. But for every hound they vaporized, two more took it's place.

"They won't rip out your throat if you surrender peacefully," Verossa stated calmly, stepping into the room behind his comrades.

"I won't have to shoot anyone, either," Otto added, index fingers glowing as she covered the room.

Teana went straight to a console as the techs and guards raised their hands in surrender and Verossa and Deed secured them. "I've taken control of the defensive systems and locked down the remaining guards, but the jig is up and they know what's going on. We'll have military units on our doorstep soon, unless your rebel friends take their attention. Oh, and I've located at least one of the people you're looking for, but I don't know where the other two are; the records don't show them ever being here."

Otto stepped over and tapped a few keys, bringing up a few data screens. "She's right. Schach is farther down, but neither Carim nor Agito were ever here."

Deed raised an eyebrow. "Then where are they?"

"We don't have time to consider that," Verossa reminded her. "We have a prison break and riot to organize and Sein has set off her fireworks by now. Remember that Carim told you not to worry about her, so we'll just have to have faith."

The #12 cyborg glanced at him, equal parts duty and concern warring for dominance. "I know you're right, it's just that I feel responsible. Even though she sent us away, I never dreamed it was because she was going to be captured and... where are _you_ going?"

Teana held up the device she had just liberated from a safe in the wall and was heading back for the door they came through. "I held up my part of the bargain and got you in here. I'm going to free my sister now, and then go after Quattro and Due. Regardless of how this turns out, we both want them stopped." She paused and gave them a look. "Unless you want to stop me, I assume you have no objections."

Deed clearly held objections. "But-"

Verossa shook his head at her. "Remember, Deed, it was to be my call. She doesn't know anything else about our plans, so there's not much she could do to stop us. I looked into her mind, and she was telling the truth about Quattro and Due." While Deed slowly lowered her swords, he turned back to Teana. "No objections. Good luck."

She gave him a half-smile. "You'll need it more than I will."

x~~*~~x

"Well, it appears it has begun," Jail noted, looking up as the room vibrated lightly. "Right on schedule, I might add."

Quattro brought up a holoscreen, reading the data off it. "My my, how interesting; a simultaneous strike on the starport teleporter and the mage detention and reeducation facility; rather bold. And I just got authorization to release my new toys to deal with the prison situation, since the outer wall seems to be under attack and they can't spare the personnel." She closed the window, standing up to stretch. "But how do you want to proceed? If Teana is involved in any way and has just freed her sisters, she'll be on her way here."

"Ah yes, it is time to put the plan into action, isn't it?" Jail questioned rhetorically, then glanced around at the yellow liquid filled-containers. "I shall miss this place and I do hate having perfectly good specimens go to waste, so I suppose it's time to put them to use."

Due glanced in the direction of one in particular. "That one, too? She won't last too long outside of that, due to the infection."

"True, so I suppose we'll just have to leave her behind," Jail replied, his voice tinged with sadness as the room vibrated slightly again. "But we can prepare the others to greet any guests who come knocking, and then we should get moving. There is someone we have to collect first, provided our lead scientist friend has managed to install what we needed?"

Due nodded. "As far as I know, Mariel has relayed that it's complete. As a scientist, she is rather eager to see what you can accomplish."

Jail studied his #2 cyborg for a moment, before ultimately shrugging. "Well then, shall we get going? History awaits!"

x~~*~~x

The acrid smell of burnt metal filled the air while beams of light and florescent tracers lit the night all along the various guarded entrances in the outer wall as the battle was joined. Combined with the nearly superimposed twin moons in the sky, there was enough light to see, but those two celestial objects also served as a constant reminder to Nanoha of the time limit she was under; if she even decided to make use of Plan B. But those thoughts were pushed to the background, since there were currently more important things she needed to focus on.

"Jayce, reinforce the left side, we're getting some heavier fire there," Nanoha commanded into her communicator from her position high in the sky. "Thao, pull your unit back about a hundred meters; you have mages looking to box you in. Let the Mariages take the forefront and just support them. Shante, come in from the right and flank those Bureau squads making a push against our front line."

Her aerial locale gave her a good field of view for most of the battlefield, but also made her a very visible target, as was evidenced when another flight of mages came in on her, firing. Raging Heart, acting mostly independently in standalone flight mode, automatically put up shields to block the initial shots, but before she could even think about returning fire, Vivio and Einhart were suddenly there, rapidly taking down the enemy air group. Nanoha was almost tempted to add some fire support, but the two women were quite effective and efficient in their bodyguard roles, and new communications demanded her attention.

"T-The walls are coming alive!" came the frantic shout over the channel. "It's the giants! Hayate has activated the giants!"

Nanoha had been expecting this and changed her position, getting her first real good look at the twin metal constructs. They started as large cubes that were part of the outer wall, but unfolded themselves fairly quickly into large, heavily armed and armored robots almost a hundred meters tall. Racks of weapon mounts exposed themselves from the torso, shoulders and arms, laying waste to the immediate vicinity.

"Reading total magic nullification within twenty meters," Raging Heart reported. "Readings are slightly inconsistent compared to a normal anti-magic field."

"Total magic nullification?" Nanoha questioned, opening the barrel of her Strike Cannon. "Still, we were expecting it thanks to Teana's intelligence, and that's what this is for. Erio, Rose, do you read me?"

"Affirmative," came the dual reply from the other two people who had been able to handle the prototype weapons, and then Erio added: "Shall we split our fire?"

Nanoha considered the idea, then dismissed it. "No. Let's focus fire and take down one ASAP; we'll start with the one on the left. Ix's Mariage in the area are gathering for bombardment support."

The two rogered their affirmation and Nanoha, with the help of Raging Heart, funneled her mana into her weapon while aiming and flying into optimal firing range. In tandem, normal energy converted from mana erupted from three different locations and converged on the giant, sending it back a step and leaving smoking craters in its right shoulder and left thigh and leg. Smaller missiles and cannon shells promptly followed that barrage, erupting from dozens of locations and peppering the construct all over, seeking out the openings the three mages had already made.

"Look!" Erio called out suddenly in alarm, but he didn't need to; Nanoha saw the damage was beginning to heal itself, the metal frame twisting itself back to normal, albeit slowly.

Nanoha narrowed her eyes and prepared another blast. "We'll just have to do more damage than they can heal, until it's nothing but scrap."

"A delightful sentiment!" Rose agreed, as the three opened fire once more.

x~~*~~x

Hayate's eyes narrowed as she received images of Nanoha firing on one of the giants, ultimately blasting off one of the arms. Other screens relayed more information, about the starport teleporter being down, the prison outbreak, the space battle; and what was most interesting, the specific ground forces arrayed against her.

"Hayate, are you seeing this?" Vita asked from one of the holo screens.

"Yes," the Wolkenritter mistress responded simply. "We knew she would come, but not with as many surprises as she did."

"Vivio and Einhart, too, and Ixpellia must be involved because of the Mariage," Vita noted. "It appears Nanoha is the one in charge, so if Signum and I can take her down-"

The Supreme Commander shook her head. "No, you two focus on taking down the rebel leaders and making a dent in their battle lines. Nanoha is currently too well-protected, but she will ultimately come to me, and I will deal with her. I've already given Quattro permission to deal with the mage prison outbreak with her new... drones, but we still have an army of Mariage to deal with here. I need you two to hold them off, until I can shut all of them down."

"Understood," Vita replied, signing off.

Hayate immediately opened another screen, a man quizzically turning to face her. "Well, it's not often you deign to contact me. It must be a special occasion."

"Fortis, I will shortly release you and your family for duty," Hayate informed him. "We are under attack."

"Oh?" he replied, his eyes lighting up with intrigue. "You're going to let us out of this nice gilded cage? Stella wasn't enough for you?"

"She has her hands full controlling the giants, but they won't last much longer," Hayate informed him.

"I suppose we have no choice, then, since you currently have Stella under your tender care, operating those constructs that you melted our ship into," Fortis admitted, shrugging. "I'll inform the rest and prepare to repel the attack-"

"Not quite," the Supreme Commander replied, cutting him off. "Arnage and Cyhpa can join the battle, but I have a special mission for you and Deville. I will send Shamal and Zafira to you with the details, and also to assist and keep an eye on you. Just be aware of what's at stake."

He tapped his head. "Oh, believe me, we know. We've had many years to live with the fact that we have bombs in our brains. You are quite correct that we can't regenerate a new head."

Hayate eyed the man, but if he was planning anything, he hid it well. "It's good that we understand one another, then."

x~~*~~x

"J-Jenkins has gone mad!" came the panicked cry over the tacnet. "He's firing on us! Wait, st-Aaauuughh!"

"Stay calm and focus your fire on those Mariages!" Rai called as he sped through the sky, assisting and commanding where he could. "They have some sort of telepathic mind control, but they can only compel one person at a time!"

"We're... trying, sir, but these things are heavily armored and can repair themselves," came the reply from Lt. Janus. "It takes several of us combining our firepower to heavily damage one of them."

"Do the best you can, Lieutenant," Rai encouraged her. "I'll see if I can get more backup from HQ."

He cursed; he himself had only gotten data on these things a short while ago, right after they had first shown up. Twenty minutes ago he didn't even know things like this existed, so how the hell did the rebels get their hands on them? HQ was silent on that point, but he just had to trust they were working up a countermeasure. His duty was to see to the defense of the city, and right now, that involved finding out who was firing those weapons that were taking down one of the giants.

"Lock has been obtained," his armed device informed. "Target is on the right at 300 meters."

His eyes narrowed as he changed his flight path, now seeing someone standing atop one of the taller abandoned buildings, firing. Gritting his teeth, Rai formed his battle trident and increased his speed, swinging as he came into range. The rebel looked surprised to see him, but managed to block with the sword-like barrel of the weapon. However Rai had trapped it between two of the three prongs on his trident and now twisted while pushing down, prying the weapon from the other man's hands and sending it skittering away.

"I'm Enforcer Commander Rai," he told the unknown combatant. "I officially order you to cease your attack and surrender, and you'll be given a chance to defend yourself in court."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rebel calmly sized up his adversary while taking out a spear-like device. "I'm Erio Mondail. I used to be part of the Bureau so I know what you're thinking, but I regret that I can't do as you say."

"So be it," Rai replied evenly, getting an odd feeling from his opponent's ready stance. "Neptune!"

"Spark Shot!" his device chirped, the three prongs crackling with magic electricity a second before lightning arced out.

Erio managed to dive and roll, then come up with spear thrusters firing, but Rai was already swinging his trident around to deflect the pointed charge. Erio rebounded off the side railing and charged back in while Rai's weapon crackled with energy again. However, instead of a straight lightning shot, Rai cracked the forming electrical tendrils around like a whip, coiling it around the shaft of his opponent's weapon and yanking hard to send him flying over the edge of the building and through the windows of another.

Rai didn't waste anytime jumping after his quarry, but Erio had recovered quickly and fired a barrage of magical shots as the Enforcer Commander entered through the newly-created hole. Rai shielded, but the temporary distraction was enough to allow his opponent to outflank him. He turned and instinctively jumped back as the spear tip grazed his barrier jacket, but then the weapon hit the ground and an electrical shock wave erupted from the impact, washing over him and temporarily making his body feel a bit numb. It was all he could to bring his trident back up to block the second spear swing, weapons locking against each other in a challenge of magic-enhanced strength.

"You're not bad," Erio noted, making Rai give him an odd look. "And at another time, I would enjoy testing my skills against you. But I have something to do."

Rai recalled his promise to Fate, to keep Clanagan safe and provide a place she could return to, and somehow managed the strength to push his opponent away. "So do I."

x~~*~~x

Multicolor beams lanced through the darkness of space as they sought out their targets, interspersed by magical bullets and tracer rounds along with the occasional physical missile. The ships that lacked mages, which was most of them, were instead fitted with mass-based weapons, such as rapid-fire rail guns and particle beams weapons, not quite as effective as magic, but still useful In the deadly void between this dance of death, a medium-sized shuttle darted about, sweeping in to fire at blind spots, before zipping out again.

"Repeat that?" Vice requested in disbelief from the co-pilot's seat, where his Storm Raider interface handled the main weapons.

"I said two of the three ships that were standing by initially have started to move, and one of them is heading your way," Chrono repeated. "You'll have to stop it from reaching Clanagan."

"We have our hands full here already with this bird you wounded," the gunner replied with a grimace. "I think we can convince him to withdraw with a bit more pecking, but there's no way we can deal with a fresh cruiser! We already lost the _Trafalger_ and last I saw of the _Second Wind, _she was drifting and not responding_._" Those two ships were civilian transports outfitted with makeshift shields and weapons, but the crews no less eager to fight for their chance at a better future.

There was a slight pause before Chrono responded. "...Understood. I'll see if I can send a few more ships your way, but it's all we can do to keep these three cruisers entertained, and we'll be hard-pressed once that fourth ship gets here. And also, our long-range sensors have detected a hyperspace disturbance inbound which means more ships are coming; they'll be here within the hour."

Light flashed several times as the cruiser they were circling fired, and while the view screen filtered most of the glare, Vice still found himself blinking. "Careful there, Alto, and bring us around for another pass. I think the aft shields on the cruiser have weakened enough that I can penetrate it with a Variable Barret." He knew, as well as Alto, that if the ship lost it's main engines, it would probably withdraw, or at least signal surrender.

"I'm doing the best I can here not to get us skewered!" she protested, sending the ship into a barrel roll as several beams grazed the shields. "It's only because we have so many targets, that they can't focus on any one ship too much, but that's rapidly changing."

"Dad, I think I see what you're planning, and I'll try to buy you some cover to make your run," Amos's voice came over the communicator, the gunnery sergeant on the Bureau transport ship _Clondoa_. It was one of the few Bureau ships the fleet had with magical weaponry. "I'll talk with the ship's captain."

"Roger," Vice responded, most of his focus on his console as the armed shuttle made a low pass over the hull of the larger cruiser, peppering its shields with magical bullets.

But part of his attention was on that last ship, still hanging motionless in it's position; it hadn't moved, nor had it responded to any communication since the fight began. With conditions as they were, the fleet was just barely holding on, and Vice didn't want to think what would happen if the last ship joined the fight. And apparently there were more ships inbound, which meant this battle would rapidly go south once they arrived.

[Hope you guys hurry it up down there,] he allowed himself the small thought while watching the initial cruiser Chrono warned him about close in on Mid-Childa.

x~~*~~x

"You still can't contact Hayate?" Wendi asked as the pair flew through the air on Wendi's board, ignoring the sounds of combat in the distance.

"No, Cross Mirage still can't get through," Teana replied. "I'm not so sure she'd believe me, anyway, though; suddenly showing up with the rebels isn't exactly going to help my credibility. However, once we get Nove, we can raid Quattro's lab and get actual evidence. Plus, maybe it's my old Enforcer's investigative instinct, but I can't help think she's organized your framing at this time for a specific reason. We need to find out what as soon as possible."

The air surfer finally touched down on the front lawn, but the pair hadn't gone too far towards the front door when Nove threw it open and stared. "Teana! Wendi! What the hell took you guys so long?"

"It's a long story," the orange-haired Nakajima told her sister with a hug. "But right now, we need to get going. How is Dieci?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you," Nove replied with a strange note in her voice while pulling back. "She's gone! She's been missing since yesterday, as a matter of fact."

"What?" Wendi nearly shrieked, realizing that Dieci's outdoor trips pretty much amounted to visits and shopping. "Where did she go?"

"If I knew, she wouldn't be missing!" Nove countered angrily.

"Quattro," Teana growled. "Somehow, she's probably behind this, too. But that's why we're here; I'll need your help in bringing her down. I think we can finally get the proof that Wendi has been framed, and possibly much more."

Nove pointed to her anklet. "The Bureau is monitoring me; I can't really leave the house except under escort or..." She trailed off as Teana pulled out her gun and shot the item off. "Well, there's that, too... I hope you know what you're doing."

Teana smiled grimly. "So do I."

x~~*~~x

"...and if you join with us, you can earn your freedom," Otto was broadcasting over the prison's PA system. "We have a chance, but only if we work together. Any guards that lay down their weapons and surrender are not to be harmed; merely put them in the cells you currently occupy, and I will lock them in. I am releasing your cell doors and restraints now. Meet up in the central prison yard and we'll leave via the main gate."

Deed retrieved Windelshaft from the same safe Teana had plundered for Wendi's device, and tossed it at Verossa as Otto ended the broadcast. "Go get Schach from her cell in solitary confinement and see if you can find Carim and Agito. I know, she told us not to, but Otto and I can organize the prisoners. It's not like you're really needed around here."

The aged investigator caught it easily, turning it over in his hand, and then smiled wryly. "I suppose not. I'll see what I can do."

He exchanged knowing nods with the two cyborgs, and then was gone, while Deed turned back to her sister. "How are you doing over there?"

"I've cut connections with the outside and locked the controls," Otto informed her, closing the holograph keyboards. "It'll be awhile before the Bureau can regain control of this system, and we should be long gone before that. Most of the prisoners seem to be cooperating, so let's join them down in the courtyard; the prison's shield won't last too much longer against the Bureau forces outside attempting to break in."

Deed agreed, and the two sisters left the control room, although Otto paused to unleash a Ray Storm blast that decimated the room for good measure. The pair then headed back towards the elevator, but they never made it; the walls exploded in front of them, and as the dust began to clear and settle, it revealed the faces and forms of two sisters they didn't expect to see again.

"Tre?" a shocked Deed blurted in surprise.

"And Sette?" Otto finished for her sister, equally flabbergasted, studying the pair opposite them.

The #3 and #7 cyborgs didn't respond, their faces emotionless as they charged in and attacked.

x~~*~~x

Encapsulated by flame and thunder, Rio shot straight ahead like a comet into the enemy group firing on her unit from the cover of ruined concrete slabs. The Bureau army had finally recovered from the initial surprise attack and were now regrouping, charging out from the outer wall to swarm the smaller rebel army; it was her job to make them think twice about that.

But there was no second thoughts among the ground mages she was heading straight for as to the immediate action they should take; they quickly leapt out of the way shortly before she exploded into the concrete they were using as cover. The few who hadn't been knocked out by her charge, she rapidly sent to join their colleagues in slumber land with a few well-placed punches and kicks.

"Rio here, the enemy nest has been taken care of, everyone else move up," she commanded to her small unit, dodging behind cover as more magical beams sought her out; she couldn't afford to waste magic simply shielding everything. "And watch yourselves; we still have some enemy snipers at 3 o'clock."

As they rogered their affirmation, Corona's voice buzzed in her ear piece. "Rio? I'm using a private channel here; we have a problem. A larger Bureau force is making a spearhead straight into our front line; if it continues, they'll easily pierce it and have direct access to our backsides. And what's more, it's being led by Generals Signum and Vita."

Rio's mouth went dry at the mention of those names, even though she expected the former to be alive again, since Teana had dropped that little tidbit on them during her intelligence-sharing sessions. "I wondered why resistance felt light on my end; they must be massing there for the counter-attack. I'll pass off command of my unit to Shante and go to head them off. I only need to stall them until Seikou finishes with the giants, and then she can back me up."

"You'll never win against both of them, you know that, so I'll come help," Corona insisted, and then her voice took on a nostalgic tone. "I think we both have scores to settle with them, ever since the war."

Rio allowed a half-smile to form as her unit formed around her, firing back. "You also know, that they're stronger than us. I only won against Signum once, and that was only because of Agito's help."

"Who wants to live forever?" came the fond response, and Rio could hear the small smile in her voice. "We made a promise to face everything together, and I intend to keep it. You aren't going to die alone."

While rock and concrete exploded around her, Rio led her team into a nearby building for a brief respite. Despite conditions, Rio found herself grinning. "And here I thought I was the nihilistic one. Well then, to hell with both of us! I'll meet you there."

"Captain, look!" one of her men pointed out as she signed off the private channel.

Disbelief on her face, Rio watched, incredulous, as the nearby Mariages began rapidly running past the building, but not in the direction of the enemy; they were running away. "What the hell?"

x~~*~~x

Nanoha figured the battle had been going a bit too well, but she didn't expect the panicked cries over the communication channel shortly after the first giant finally went down in pieces.

"The Mariages! They're changing course and retreating! What the hell is going on?"

"We're exposed out here, and the Bureau is advancing on us! We need backup NOW!"

She tapped her ear piece. "Ixpella, are you there? What happened?"

Vivio floated up next to her, worry on her face when no response was forthcoming. "Ix? It's Vivio. What's going on?"

Nanoha tried again. "Base camp, do you read?"

"This is Lutecia!" came the urgent response. "We're under a-" The call was promptly cut off.

Einhart floated up next to the others, speaking the dreaded realization aloud that they all shared: "They discovered the location of our rear command post. The only thing that would make the Mariage ignore their orders, is if Ix herself is under attack; protection of their master at all costs is their highest priority, overriding all other commands."

Nanoha considered her options. "Without the Mariage, our normal units will be hard pressed; I can't risk taking any out of position. Erio is currently engaging a high-ranked enemy Enforcer, too." She paused and glanced up, realizing what was written all over her daughter's face, and thus quickly made her decision. "Go. Einhart, too. There's no telling what they have back there; it's obviously enough of a threat to cause Lutecia to worry. The faster you deal with it, the quicker you can get back here."

"But you'll be all alone!" Vivio protested. "And you still have that other giant to worry about!"

"I can handle myself," Nanoha said, hefting her Strike cannon and shifting her Fortress shields around for emphasis while Raging Heart floated nearby in flight mode. "We've taken a large chunk of the Bureau force out of action already, so we just need to stall for a bit. But we need those Mariage; if you two can save Ix, we can turn this around before it gets too bad. GO!"

Vivio gazed at her mother once more, worry evident on her face, then nodded firmly, taking off rapidly through the air with Einhart close behind her. Nanoha watched them, go, then hefted the Strike Cannon to assist Rose in taking down the second giant.

"Raging Heart, increase mana expenditure and provide bombardment support," Nanoha commanded, feeling the extra draw commence almost immediately. "We need to cover the troops; I won't lose any of them!"

x~~*~~x

Givo watched out of the corner of his eye as Lutecia pitched forward and landed face first from a blow to the back of her head from one of the surprise assailants, while Ix was currently bound by several green thread-like binds. He himself struggled helplessly, held aloft by his neck by a second attacker, a shirtless muscle-bound giant of a man.

"You were well-hidden, but you can't hide from Klarer Wind's sensors," the woman in emerald green clothing stated, holding up the hand that wasn't currently binding Ixpellia. "Reusing this bunker from the war was rather clever, however."

[Dammit, why won't my magic work on this guy!] Givo thought, powerlessly as his vision began to swim. Trying to kick out seemed pointless, too; the big man simple ignored it. Not like any of it mattered; the attack had been too swift for any of them to properly deal with.

"I hope your communication jamming field was in effect, Shamal, because she might have gotten a warning off," the man who had just knocked Lutecia out replied, glancing down at the woman, then dodging as several Mariage entered the large room and fired on him. "And you may want to turn your little toys off, princess."

"I put up the jamming field as quickly as I could after we arrived, Fortis," Shamal told him, then addressed her captive. "Still, you should do as he says. All we want is you; we'll leave the others unharmed if you cooperate and shut them down."

"I can't control them currently!" Ix protested, struggling. "It's a safeguard built into me. As long as I'm in danger, they will all come to rescue me. Let Givo go!"

The young teen's face was starting to change colors, and it wasn't clear that he was going to be released until Zafira laid a hand on the bigger man's shoulder. "You remember the deal, Deville; no killing... yet."

The muscle-bound man shrugged, then tossed Givo through the air. Helpless, he hit the wall, slid down, and collapsed, and the last thing he saw before his vision went black, was Fortis advancing on a trembling Layla.

x~~*~~x

_Faster! Faster!_

The word echoed in Fate's mind over and over again as she sped through the air, the green of the forest flying rapidly by below. She wasn't sure exactly what awaited her in Clanagan, just that she had a horrible feeling deep in her gut. The ear transmitter had mostly been filled with static, symptoms of intermittent jamming, so she wasn't quite sure what the current state of affairs were like. Logically, she told herself that there was nothing that could attack Clanagan and succeed; Hayate had it too well-protected.

And yet, despite no clear evidence, she knew exactly the reason for her unease; Nanoha would be in the thick of it, fighting against Hayate. That meant that, no matter who won or who lost, she could very well lose someone she cared about, and after years of losing people close to her, she couldn't have it happen again.

"Nnnh," the male enforcer under Fate's right arm groaned, as he and his partner slowly came to. "What happened?"

Fate slowed down and landed, sitting them down on a grassy knoll. "You were attacked and knocked out, but I saved you."

"Commander... Fate?" the female Enforcer questioned, rubbing her head as her eyes blinked opened.

"You two, rest and recover here, and do not, under any circumstances, come to Clanagan until I give you the all clear," she ordered. So conditioned were they, that they immediately agreed without asking any further questions.

She nodded and took off into the air once more towards the flickering lights in the distance, an unknown and uncertain future ahead of her.

_Faster._

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Most of the match-ups have been started. Look for the continuing battle in the next chapter: "The Fog of War."


	31. The Fog of War

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 31: The Fog of War**

Xx~~*~~xX

Nanoha evaded as another flight of mages came in for her, their beams and magical bullets seeking her out. Raging Heart responded instantly, shifting the Fortress Mode's shields into position to block, then returning fire automatically with a Divine Buster that engulfed two of them. She was tempted to fight them off personally, but she couldn't afford to divert her attention from her current task; Erio hadn't been able to fire for awhile, and even Rose's attacks had been rather spotty, leaving the important task of handling the giants mainly to Nanoha. Thus, she let another barrage rip from her Strike Cannon, blasting the right arm off the second metal construct, emptying the battery embedded in the device.

However, while the weapon slowly recharged with her magic, she converted the barrel to sword-form and changed her mind about fighting off the Enforcers and soldiers as more came in, attempting to engage her at close range. [I have to ration my magic wisely; need just the right amount for each target...]

She increased her strength and speed, batting the current target away with the barrel sword and then dove to the ground as a dozen more enemy combatants began to swarm her. However, there was a reason she had once been given the "Ace of the Sky" title, and she proved that once more by engaging in a complex series of loops and twists through the air and between buildings. Easily keeping her cool in the face of increasing numbers, she formed a dozen Axel shooter orbs while darting between structures, deliberately firing each one at close range so that they didn't have time to shield, aiming for vulnerable spots to knock out targets with just one shot each. Raging Heart responded in kind, maneuvering the three shields to cover for her while firing its own measured attacks.

And then suddenly the air was clear due to the remaining enemies(the ones who were still conscious) quickly pulling away and, sensing their renewed hesitation for how easily their comrades had been taken out, Nanoha took the opportunity to launch a different kind of assault. "I am Seikou, the Starlight Destroyer; perhaps you've heard of me. If you're going to come at me, though, I'd appreciate if you put more effort into it. Oh, and bring more of your friends; you'll need more than just just what you have here." She reached out with right hand and beckoned. "Come, and let me show you just how much you have to learn."

As the moment of non-assault continued, she could now clearly see the fear in their eyes as their glances darted about, as if daring each other to make the next move... but nobody did.

Raging Heart informed her telepathically that the Strike Cannon's battery was full once more, which made her realize she still had an important task, and wondered if it was still such a good idea to have sent both Vivio and Einhart back; she could use some cover to freely fire again. Also, their battle lines were on the verge of collapse, with rebels attempting to fall back while the Bureau army advanced out from the city walls.

Nanoha opened the barrel for emphasis, sending a clear message to the soldiers still hanging in the air around her, but inwardly she was growing more and more worried. [Vivio, where are you?]

x~~*~~x

The wall blew outwards, easily admitting the three, but it was Nove who spoke first. "Okay, this is getting creepy; where is everyone?"

"You said it," Wendi agreed, glancing around the interior. "I thought you said this was supposed to be Quattro's hideout? We haven't encountered any resistance nor any traps. Surely she'd guard it better than this."

Teana glanced around at the computer machinery and empty life-pods as the trio slowly walked through the lab. "Well, this is a hidden lab, which fits with what I learned from Givo. With all the chaos above, she and Due are probably out and about doing their thing, but maybe we can get a clue as to what they are up to. Cross Mirage, access the computer databanks and get me a table of contents on the file system."

"The data is firewall-protected," her device replied after a brief moment. "It will take some time."

"Maybe I can give you a hand," she muttered, sitting down at a console and calling up a holographic keyboard to begin tapping away on.

"I wonder why some of these pods have curtains on them?" Wendi ventured, heading up to one of them. "They look a lot like the ones Nove and I were birthed in, which means Quattro must have continued Jail's work. Wonder what she was trying to achieve. We certainly didn't see any new combat cyborgs over the years."

"Dunno, but you can ask the bitch herself, once I'm done wringing her neck," Nove muttered, studying the surroundings absently.

"Or you can just ask me," came a male voice that made all three stop and stare at the new holographic video screen that had just opened. "I'm so very sorry I am away and unable to greet visiting guests."

"Jail?" Teana questioned, frowning. "It can't be... Hayate has your brain in lockdown. Nice trick, Due."

"Oh, I'm afraid I'm not exactly who you think I am, but then again, you've at least guessed some of it by now," the doctor replied, Teana finding his wide grin just as annoying as ever.

Due leaned into the picture, gently stroking the doctor's hair, the very picture of pride and smugness. "I'd introduce you to my son, but somehow, I think you two already know each other well enough."

Teana felt her body grow cold as she digested the implications. "Son? You didn't... you couldn't.. the Bureau removed that possibility from each... cyborg..."

"Hi!" Quattro greeted, waving as she dipped into the picture as well. "You did get most everyone, including me... except for the one you thought was dead. Oh dear, how could you have overlooked that? But I hope you are finding our little house pleasant."

"It'll be even more pleasant if you come down here and show us around," Nove growled, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm afraid we have some other business to attend to, but you're more than welcome to kick up your feet and make yourself at home," Jail told them regretfully, and then his face brightened. "Ah, I know! How about if we arrange some others who can attend to you? Perhaps some you know?"

At that moment, the sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the lab as one of the curtained life pods broke and a figure dropped to their feet. As the trio stared in horror, two more life pods shattered and the two new figures joined the third, fully clothed with expressionless gazes.

Teana's mouth went dry. "Jail... what the hell have you done?"

"It can't be..." Wendi whispered, eyes wide as she beheld the three new faces. "Cinque... Dieci... and Ginga?"

"You're more than welcome to whatever data I have down there, provided it, and you, are still in one piece," Jail continued, as Cinque produced knives, Dieci raised her cannon, and Ginga brought her Revolver Knuckle fist up. "You should thank me, by the way, for saving them, even though Due had to play the part of your sister Dieci for so long. Oh, and there's one more thing you should be careful of breaking."

A curtain dropped from the life-pod in the middle of the large room, revealing one more familiar form, seemingly unconscious and floating naked, tattoo-like scars from her infection still visible. Someone Teana never expected to see again, and had to steady her legs, lest they give out from under her.

"Bastard!" Nove seethed, anger overtaking any shock she might be feeling.

"Subaru..." Teana uttered in a near-whisper, and then promptly got a hold of herself. "Another clone? Or did you dig up and desecrate her dead body?" 

"Oh, I assure you, she's real the thing, and alive," Jail replied, his voice dripping with delight anad amusement. "There are many wonderful chemicals out there, some that make the body mimic death. Due only had to administer it, then replace the body with a cloned double, which is what you buried. The pod is currently keeping her alive, so do be careful it doesn't break; there's no telling how long she'll last outside of it. Take care!"

"JAIL!" Teana screamed as the holographic screen phased out to the sound of the doctor's echoing laughter, while Cinque, Dieci, and Ginga advanced on their Nakajima sisters.

x~~*~~x

The outside of the tower exploded, expelling two figures who were locked in combat. Deed had barely gotten her swords up when Tre rammed into her, sending the both of them outside. Otto followed a moment later, firing as she flew backwards, peppering the hole with her emerald beams.

"Nanoha told us they were dead!" Deed shouted, managing to dislodge Tre temporarily and going back-to-back with Otto.

"She might be right," Otto replied evenly, studying Sette who had finally emerged from the hole. "Somehow, they don't seem alive. Not even like Ginga did when Jail temporarily brainwashed her. They're virtually emotionless; no anger, surprise, nothing. Their expressions don't change."

The outer prison shield picked that moment to finally go down, and Deed's gaze was immediately drawn to the army all lined up just outside. "You know, I think you're right; look."

Otto followed her gaze, noting the straight lines of Tre's and Sette's now advancing into the prison and beginning to clash with the freed inmates. "Clones? Or robotic duplicates perhaps? Either way, Quattro has been busy."

"Then we don't need to hold back against these!" Deed growled, charging forward to meet the initial Tre she had been fighting with. The two clashed against each as they streaked through the sky, sparks flying.

Meanwhile, Otto held her ground while a wave of boomerang swords came flying it, unleashing a Ray Storm volley that shot each of them from the sky. "You'll have to do better than that."

The Sette merely gazed impassively, forming another pair of swords, and this time streaking in for close combat. Otto was forced to put up a shield to block both blades, but more formed in the air all around them, rotating slowly for a split second before flying in. They exploded as they impacted, but the #7 cyborg pulled out of the smoke cloud, unharmed, waiting as the smoke dissipated to reveal Otto with hands out to either side, fully engulfed in a form fitting barrier shield.

"[Whatever they are, they have the original's battle techniques uploaded,]" Otto noted to her sister via telepathy, taking off in flight as Sette came after her again. "[But something seems a bit off... They don't seem as strong, or else they are holding back a little.]"

"[You don't have to tell me!]" Deed answered, yelping in pain as a rapidly moving Tre managed to add several more cuts as the two cyborgs twisted and rebounded off each other. "[Tre helped train me, and I remember her being a bit faster. I could barely parry the original, but this one I can almost keep up with.]" She dove and swung, but the #3 cyborg blurred out of the way, and Deed felt a white-hot burn across her back when her opponent left a slash there and then darted away, leaving the #12 cyborg seething in pain. "[Almost.]"

Otto unleashed another barrage of beams, but Sette cut through them, weaving through the rest as the two held their own dance of death through the skies. "[I can probably assist you-]"

"[No!]" Deed countered, trying to calm herself while concentrating. "[You have to focus on your own fight. I can handle this. I...]" She trailed off as she clashed once more with the Tre, shocked by what she was now seeing: Twin trails of tears leaking from the cyborg's otherwise expressionless eyes. "[Otto, do you...]"

She didn't need to finish the thought since Otto, managing a bind on Sette's legs but holding off on a charged shot, sent a mental confirmation. "[They're... crying? What is going on?]"

And then both enemy cyborgs spoke as one in a flat monotone voice. "Help us..."

x~~*~~x

With horrifying clarity, the static suddenly gave way to transmissions. "..._Monitor_ is entering the atmosphere in a few minutes. We'll be in position to fire on the rebel forces shortly. Per orders, we will raze the entire ghetto outskirts, leaving them no place to hide."

Fate's eyes widened. [Hayate wouldn't... would she?] Her thoughts didn't go much farther before she realized that, yes, Hayate would. In her mind, the Bureau falling would mean anarchy, as she felt that the TSAB was the only force holding back the tides. And in some measure of truth, it was; the void that followed the absence of authority always led to instability and chaos throughout history. If a few people had to die to preserve order, Hayate would do it. But was she really pressed far enough to consider this? And when did Hayate become capable of taking actions like this?

[And not too long ago, I probably would have gone along with her,] Fate mused sadly, now finding a renewed sense of disturbance in the idea. [But why? How did we change so much? It's like I'm seeing things so much differently than I used to.]

Fate shook her head and increased speed, gaining altitude while activating Bardiche. In her mind, she could picture Nanoha down below, unaware of the danger until it was too late and the warship's weaponry enveloped her. And perhaps even Jari's wife, Jenna, somewhere down there as well, getting caught in the blast... and Fate had promised Marin she'd bring her mother home.

"This is Enforcer Commander Fate S. Harlaown to the Bureau cruiser _Monitor_, cease your planned bombardment immediately!" she ordered having Bardiche's broadcast on an open frequency during a break in the jamming. "I repeat, stand down!"

"Our orders come from Supreme Commander Hayate herself," the captain replied after a moment. "Take it up with her."

Fate could see the ship now, breaking through the clouds, and she realized she didn't have time to consult with Hayate; the port side weapons array was already beginning to light up. Making her decision, Fate switched Bardiche to Zanber form and poured every ounce of magic she had into speed, realizing she had just one chance at this. With a loud cry, she jammed the point of her giant sword into the aft shields.

[Come on!] she urged, pushing with all her might as magical sparks showered her sword. Slowly but surely, the blade edged in until it was nearly a third of the way there, which she judged sufficient. "Bardiche!"

"Rail Form Extension!" her device replied, the sword splitting down the middle, prying a small hole in the shields as the magical cannon shell formed and electrical magic arced between the prongs..

However, the aft weapons array was beginning to light up, and she shifted her weapon under her right arm while throwing her left palm up and forming several Round Shields with it. "FIRE!"

As powerful red beams began to shatter her shields, the cannon shell of hyper-compressed magic fired, impacting and penetrating the hull where she knew the engines compartment to be. Brilliant golden light promptly exploded forth, and while she was already on the move, the discharge helped to propel her away, sending her tumbling through the sky and towards the ground. However, she managed to recover and level out her flight, panting heavily as she watched the wounded and smoking ship tilt to the side.

[Was it enough?] she wondered, then sighed in relief as it began to descend, it's engines no longer able to keep it in the air, slowly landing on the ground outside Clanagan. [Now to find Nanoha and somehow stop all this.]

She took off towards the outer wall, aiming for the part of heaviest fighting, figuring that's where Nanoha would be.

x~~*~~x

"Annoying toys you have, princess," Fortis concluded, his arm regenerating from the bullet holes while Deville slammed his axe into the Mariage that had come through the bunker doorway. "Better hurry up with our ride out of here, Miss Shamal, now that we have what we came for."

"STOP IT!" Ix cried as the undead creation ceased functioning.

"Hey, it's not like they're alive," Fortis consoled her, shrugging. "If it's any consolation, this isn't exactly doing it for me and my friend here, either."

"The teleportation spell is almost complete," Shamal stated, her right hand aglow with magic as she worked the calculations, but was interrupted when a white bolt flashed by her, severing the thread-binds that connected her rings with Ix.

"Let... her... go..." Givo panted, his hand outstretched from where he lay on the ground; suddenly free, Ix wasted no time in sprinting directly for him.

"That kid is beginning to get on my ner-urk!" Fortis began to say as he advanced on Ix and Givo, then stopped and glanced down, a blade materializing from his chest. Behind him, the rest of Garyuu faded into existence. "Deville... handle them. I'll take care of this."

Fortis pushed backwards and slammed the humanoid bug into the concrete bunker wall, which dizzied his attacker enough for Fortis to slide off the blade and then spin and stab him with a dagger that suddenly appeared in his hand. Injured, Garyuu quickly hopped away, warily studying his opponent.

Meanwhile, Deville strode over and reached out to grab Ix who was trying to help Givo up, but then the wall exploded, pelting the occupants with dirt and debris, and he suddenly found a hand on his arm. Following the arm it was attached to, he discovered a woman glaring at him sternly.

"Pick on someone your own size," Vivio declared evenly, then kicked his feet out from under him, tripping him up and then whipping his body around in a half-circle to toss him into the far wall with enough force to make a several meter deep crater. "Ein?"

"Tio reports that Lutecia and Lalya are alright, just unconscious," Einhart replied, helping Givo up and then turning to Ix. "Can you control your Mariage again? Let them know you're alright?"

"I-I think so, let me try," Ix replied, a bit shaken, but bravely keeping it together. "They are responding again, but they want to keep coming. I think I can return most of them to the battle, if I give in and let some of them arrive for protection."

Shamal glared evenly at the newcomers. "Zafira, Fortis, get them."

"I didn't realize Hayate had managed to bring you back, Zafira, though I won't ask how," Einhart stated, pushing Ix behind her. "However, you should know that you can't beat me."

Fortis stretched out his arm, blocking the Guardian Beast from advancing. "Let me, this is why we are here. You take care of the bug. Deville, take care of the other woman." Zafira fixed the man with a look, but ultimately nodded and withdrew to face Garyuu.

Vivio raised an eyebrow as the muscle-bound man calmly emerged from his dusty crater, seemingly no worse for the wear. "So you are as tough as you look."

"You have no idea," Fortis mused with a grin, advancing on Einhart. "You probably won't listen, but I suggest you both surrender now, as you can't defeat us; no magic can. We are Fortis and Deville of Huckbein. You might have heard of us."

"Who said anything about magic?" Ein replied evenly, striking suddenly the moment Fortis came into range.

He ducked under her roundhouse kick and grabbed her arm when she came back around for a clothesline, however she reversed her spin and lanced out with her other arm. This one almost clipped his forehead, but he pulled back in time. Still, he was forced to release her other arm, and the melee combat specialist moved in closer with a one-two punch combo. He managed to grab her wrists before she connected with the blows, however, giving her an amused smile.

"Strike Arts?" he inquired absently, feigning some small measure of interest. "I have a passing knowledge of those. Quaint combat style."

Einahart responded by slamming her forehead into his nose which sent him stumbling back, and then following up with a high kick that struck his jaw and lifted him off his feet, ultimately landing the Huckbein on his back. "Kaiser Arts," she responded casually, assuming her next attack stance as Fortis picked himself up, holding his nose and wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. "And we are Einhart Stratos and Vivio Takamachi, of the Saint Church. You might have heard of us."

Fortis stared as she mirrored his words, new respect in his eyes; and then laughed out loud once he finished regenerated his damaged facial features. "The legendary Saint Kaiser, eh? Still, it doesn't matter how strong you are where we are concerned; you just can't win. And we're probably the worst opponents you could have faced."

As if for emphasis, Deville charged at Vivio with his axe raised, but as she braced her legs to counter him, he suddenly vanished and appeared behind her before completing the swing. Sensing the attack at the last moment, Vivio dropped to one knee and slapped her hands together on either side of the bladed edge, stopping it mere millimeters from her head.

"[We need to get these two out of here,]" Vivio sent telepathically to Einhart, then rapidly twisted and pushed off the ground, slamming a fist into Deville's gut in a move that took both of them through the bunker ceiling and out of the war shelter altogether.

"[Right behind you...]" Einhart answered, sweeping her right leg back in an attack stance while she prepared her next move, but trailed off when Fortis took out a black three-prong dagger and made a large cut along his forearm, surprising and confusing her with the action, especially when he was enveloped in a wave of magic.

"It's called 'reacting'," he informed her when the light show died down, revealing three-pronged black metallic claws on his hands while he mirrored her stance. "Kaiser Arts sound interesting; I'll be looking forward to learning all you know."

Einhart raised an eyebrow and continued her telepathic message. "[...In a bit.]"

x~~*~~x

Spear clashed against trident once more, but Strada's thrusters engaged and Erio pushed Rai back into a wall. The two men struggled briefly before Rai fired upwards, bringing the entire ceiling down on top of them. Erio was forced to leap back out through a window as concrete debris filled the spot he was previously occupying, and then he instinctively twirled in the air and blocked Rai attempting to attack his flank.

However, there were several electrical arrows pointed straight at him that the Enforcer Commander sent into motion with a shout. "Plasma Lancer!"

Erio's eyes widened as the bolts converged on him, but forced his magic through Strada and cast his own spell. "Thunder Rage!"

Bolts of lightning rained down while Rai's spell connected, and the area around the pair exploded with the magical energies. Erio and Rai shot out of opposite sides of the the smoking cloud and sized each other up, having yet another new appreciation for each others abilities, emphasized by singed barrier jackets now pockmarked with holes.

[That spell...] Erio wondered, a hunch forming that he almost immediately dismissed. "[Couldn't be; there has to be many people who can cast it now.] Erio was getting the sense that Rai didn't have a lightning affinity like Erio himself did, so the Enforcer Commander was using more magic to cast them, but Rai also seemingly had more mana to draw from. However, there was something else that was beginning to puzzle Erio, so out loud he asked, "Why are you fighting?"

Rai's yellow magic circle sprung into existence as he prepped his next spell. "It's my job."

Erio shook his head. "That can't be all of it. We've crossed weapons; you're far more determined than a simple soldier. I can tell."

Rai hesitated. "I could say the same for you. But to answer your question, it's so a certain someone has a place to return to. I won't let you rebels destroy what she helped build and then protected! Thunderstorm!"

With a shout, Rai charged forward, his trident firing a series of lightning bolts that Erio had to weave quickly through the air to avoid. Erio made to swing at Rai, but his opponent's speed suddenly increased greatly and he blurred past. There was a moment of pause, then Erio coughed up blood and grabbed his side, his hand finding a warm stickiness. He turned and glared at his adversary, who flicked the blood of his trident, then grabbed it with both hands and pointed. Erio got the message; Rai wasn't messing around. He was extremely intent on ending this through any method available.

[And I must be feeling my age, as I could have dodged that when I was younger,] Erio thought ruefully.

Rai let loose another Thundersotrm burst, and this time Erio took off, zig-zagging between the buildings so that the bolts peppered the concrete structures instead of his body. But he realized he was only delaying things; his injury would eventually make him slip up again and Rai would finish him, once and for all.

"I can't let this drag on, and if my suspicion is correct..." he said, mostly to himself, then glanced at his device. "Are you up for Zanbar form, Strada?"

"Jawohl!" it chirped, just as chipper as always.

He nodded. "Thank you, Strada, and I'm sorry for letting you languish unused for so long. I promise we'll fight together again from now on."

The device seemed to gleam brighter, and Erio took a quick turn around a building into a narrow alley, then executed a Sonic Move straight up while Strada popped a couple of cartridges. As expected, Rai darted into the alley, temporarily pausing when he realized his quarry was no longer there, but that only set him up for Erio to come straight down on him.

Rai noticed at the last second, but was only able to barely block the attack with the shaft of his trident but the force of Erio's dive and gravity still pushed him down. As they dropped, Rai noticed Erio's weapon had changed from a spear into a golden sword until the pair hit the ground. The impact tossed up a layer of of concrete dust and debris that the pair emerged on opposite sides from. Still, Erio was pleased to see that his opponent was looking a bit more haggard.

"Who taught you magic?" Rai demanded to know in a gruff voice, eyeing his adversary's weapon.

Erio half-smiled. "The same person that I suspect taught you; Fate Harlaown. She was like a sister to me."

The Enforcer Commander raised an eyebrow. "Like a sister? She never mentioned you."

"She rescued me from a time when I was angry at everything," Erio replied, lowering his glowing sword a little. "My parents had abandoned me, and I was taken from them and locked away and used, experimented on, only to end up in an orphanage where I felt like no one cared. She was too young to adopt me herself at the time, so her mother, Lindy Harlaown, officially adopted me. But I was just one of many that Fate rescued over the years."

"You're one of 'Fate's kids' just like..." Rai started to say in realization, then abruptly stopped. When he spoke again next, his voice was terse. "If what you say is true, then why are you fighting against the Bureau she is a part of?"

Erio's eyes became a bit glassy as he recalled a different time and place. "Because sometimes, when you love someone, you have to scold them when they are wrong. I made a promise once to do so and I guess I abandoned that awhile back. It took a couple of others to remind me of that." He paused, a hunch forming from how his adversary had responded. "She saved you, too, didn't she?"

"She's not wrong!" Rai replied tersely, initially avoiding the question while raising his trident and taking an attack stance. "No one that saved a person like me could be wrong!"

Erio noted the look in Rai's eyes had become slightly wild, and the spear knight shook his head sadly, bringing up his long blade. Rai couldn't be reasoned with at the moment, and thus there was only one thing left to do. The problem was he was beginning to feel a bit low on magic, and a bit weak from the earlier strike that grazed his side. He needed to end this quickly, with the next attack. The longer it went on, the greater the chance he would lose; Rai was much younger and had more magic than he did.

[And I'm still a bit out of shape,] Erio noted wryly, but with a bit of melancholy at all the years he could see he had wasted now. Calming his breathing, he hefted his sword over his shoulder and pointed it at Rai.

The two men studied it each for a moment more, than charged, voices raising with shouts designed to focus their attacks. Sword met trident for a split second, then Erio twisted the blade to force his opponent's weapon away while pulling his right fist back, crackling with magical energy.

"Purple Lightning Flash!" he cried out, punching and making contact with Rai's jaw.

But he didn't see that Rai had continued to twist his trident around and lash out with the other end of the staff, now glowing with a second, magically-formed trident head. The two men struck each other at the same time, Erio's fist lifting Rai off his feet and sending him skidding onto his back several meters away while the tips the trident slashed against Erio's midsection, sending him stumbling back against a wall.

Pressing his left arm against his stomach, Erio took one glance at Rai's unmoving body, and then coughed painfully once, before collapsing into a sitting position against the wall. As he closed his heavy eyes, his thoughts drifted. [I'm sorry, Fate. It looks like I won't be able to keep my promise after all.]

x~~*~~x

Isis didn't know why the Mariages had left, nor why they were slowly returning; she didn't even really care what everyone else was doing at the moment, only that she had a chance with this rebellion to break in and free Runessa and nothing would deter her from that... except for a particular voice that stopped her dead in her tracks. One that she didn't expect to hear at this point in time.

"We're taking heavy fire from an unknown here!" came the panicked cries over the static, which meant it was close by enough that to make it through the jamming. "None of our magic is working; we need backup! Is anyone there?"

The voice that sounded in the background was faint and a bit distorted due to static, but Isis's hearing recognized it immediately. "It's just yer bad luck to run inta me; but I can promise y'all go out with a bang!"

Isis grit her teeth and changed course, heading for the nearest explosions and finding her target instantly. She wasted no time pumping out her Mystic Flight White Perfume from a bottle on her left wrist and leapt in with her right fist cocked back. While her target turned and fired, Isis could see with grim satisfaction the realization in her opponent's of just who was attacking her, especially when the guided rockets predictably went off course due to the perfume. Isis's fist met Arnage's jaw with a small cloud of gas and sent the other woman careening through a concrete wall, but she quickly regained her feet, coughing quite a bit as she stepped out of the dust cloud.

Arnage waved a hand in front of her nose as she finished coughing, then stared grimly at the new arrival. "Washboard? Izzat you? I suppose I shoulda known; yer perfume still stinks like hell."

"The name is Isis!" she growled, sending in waves of exploding humming birds that pelted Arnage from all sides. "I'll never forget, nor forgive, what you did to me and my friends!"

The Huckbein artillery master emerged from the barrage, bloodied, but clearly not beaten. "Life sucks, washboard, but you should know you can't beat me. When we tangled before, you shoulda learned that."

Isis smiled grimly. "That was then. This is now. I've already beaten you."

"We'll see about that!" Arnage told her challengingly, shifting both Eclipse weapons to gatling guns and attempting to fill Isis full of holes while the explosives expert dove behind cover. "Bullet's ain't guided! An' I have..." She trailed off, wobbling on her feet a bit as the gunfire died off. "Whoa!"

"I told you I already beat you," Isis declared harshly, stepping out from cover. "It's only a matter of time now. I had many years to study the Eclipse virus."

One of the chain guns dropped to the ground as Arnage used the now free hand to steady herself, suddenly feeling a bit unsteady on her feet. "When you punched me, you hit me with something... So ya poisoned me? I'll still regenerate from it!"

Isis calmly walked towards her opponent, batting away the chain gun that Arnage attempted to bring up, then folded her arms across her chest, smiling. "Even better; I cured you."

Arnage stared at her, disbelievingly. "You couldn't... Fortis studied it for years, and even the Bureau couldn't figure out a cure, and so resorted to keeping us locked up. It's just stupid that you could casually walk in here and do it!"

"I'm an expert chemist, and I was a bit more... driven, shall we say," Isis stated flatly, then tapped the side of her head. "And I have excellent recall, having memorized everything about the virus after that incident. Perhaps Fortis and the Bureau never really wanted you cured, I don't know. But I knew if I ever ran into you guys again, I would have wanted you to feel what I did; the pain of losing someone close to you, which is what you and the rest of your 'family' will feel. I could kill you know, but it will take a bit longer for the counter-agent to fully neutralize your regeneration, and I have someplace to be. However, I'll leave you in this war zone, vulnerable, and see if you make it out alive. If you do, you can live knowing that I could come for you and your 'family' at anytime."

Arnage continued to stare in disbelief while Isis turned and walked away.

x~~*~~x

Sparks exploded from a conduit in the back from a surge protector blowing out to protect the rest of the bridge from the power overload. Chrono gave the order to rotate the ship on it's axis to protect the weaker starboard shields, but he knew it was only a delaying tactic; with the fourth ship joining the other three, it was only a matter of time before the shields failed completely. They had only survived this long, because the Bureau cruisers were focusing most of their secondary fire on the other, weaker ships of the rebel fleet.

"Bring us alongside the _Merrimac_!" he ordered as the _Graham_ shook again. "I want a full starboard-side barrage prepped; we can probably puncture their weakened shields and give the captain pause about continuing."

So far, the Bureau had only lost one cruiser, the one the _Graham_ and the _Nova_ had wounded with their initial main cannon volley at the start and that Vice's group had been working on. It was currently drifting in space on low power, having signaled it's surrender. Of the initial three ships, though, two were showing signs of heavy battle damage, and with a little more push, he could probably convince one of them to withdraw.

In return, the fleet had lost five of the half-dozen ships it had started with, mostly the lower class retrofitted civilian freighters, but also an old destroyer fielded by the Tsunia Republic. Not that the other ships were much better; the _Graham_ was in the best condition, and already it's shields were barely below half-capacity. They took damage faster than he could regenerate them.

However, a bridge tech let him know it was about to get a whole lot worse. "Admiral, I have readings on that last ship, the _Bounty;_ it's begun to move, but I also read signs that it's charging an Arc-En-Ciel! Calculations show 2 minutes before it's able to fire."

Chrono's eyes widened and he slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair. "Now we know why they weren't moving before; they were waiting for us to get tied down in engagement with the rest of their fleet! But if they fire that now, it will take out their own ships as well. I can't believe even Hayate would order something like that!" He studied the tactical map, but there was no ship that could reach it in time and do enough damage that would stop it from firing.

Griffith's face popped up in a holoscreen, sparks showering behind him. "We read the same thing over here. The _Nova_ can move out to intercept the _Bounty_ and protect the rest of the fleet."

"The _Nova_ doesn't have the firepower to break through it's shields in time!" Chrono shot back. "Both of our main cannons have damage and may not even fire. I'll have to order the fleet to disperse, and jump into hyperspace if they can."

"We do that, and the Bureau ships have free reign to approach the planet," Griffith countered, shaking his head as shouts of alarm rang out in the background. "And not all of our ships can make the jump to hyperspace due to damage; we'd be sacrificing them. No, the _Nova_ may have lost half her weapons, but we still have full engine power. We'll ram the _Bounty_, or at least intercept the attack; you have to continue the fight as long as you can!"

Chrono stared at the man who had been his second-in-command, and his friend, for as long as he could remember. "Griffith..."

Then he was forced to grab his chair as the Graham shuddered, unleashing it's full power in a point-blank exchange with the _Merrimac _from his earlier order. Both ships ripped into each other, various shield sections straining and then buckling under the concentrated attacks. Almost immediately, damage reports began coming in, but it was obvious the _Merrimac_ came out the worse for the wear; it was trailing a lot of smoke from multiple punctures along it's hull due to weaker shields.

The captain of the _Nova_ saluted, once the communication screens re-stablized. "It's been an honor serving with you, sir."

Lucino's face appeared in a second screen, from where she was manning the _Nova's_ navigation console, mirroring her husband's salute. "Don't worry, we'll protect the fleet."

"You're both nuts, let us handle it!" Alto berated them, a third screen popping up. "We're the smallest ship of the fleet, and the shot only needs to impact something; we'll intercept the beam, and the _Nova_ can keep the ship occupied so it can't fire a second shot."

If the situation wasn't so dire, Chrono might have laughed due to the ludicrousness; everyone was so quick to sacrifice themselves for each other, but he also knew they were right, and thus finally gave his blessing with a heavy heart. "Good luck, to both of you. We'll cover you as long as you can; get your people to escape pods and we'll try to pick them up after the battle."

They saluted and signed off, and Chrono watched the progress as the two ships moved away from the battle. Despite him knowing intellectually that he should focus on the tough fight in front of him, he couldn't help but glance often at the two ships moving farther and farther away, attempting to reach the _Bounty_ before it fired, while his bridge tech continued the occasional countdown report.

"30 seconds until Arc-en-Ciel full charge," her voice calmly called out amidst the chaos. "_Merrimac_ is now drifting away from the fight; I think they're attempting to get out of the way. But the other three ships are circling, keeping us from fleeing ourselves without exposing ourselves to one of their main cannons."

"Keep their attention so they don't go after the Nova," Chrono ordered, folding his hands in front of his face and watching as his friends drew closer and closer to the other ship, but was suddenly startled out of his thoughts by a loud call that echoed through the ship on an audio channel.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAWWWWW!"

"Ships emerging from hyperspace!" the bridge tech announced.

In disbelief, Chrono watched three blips appear on the screen, immediately being tagged as a Bureau cruiser and two Bureau transports. They immediately opened fire on the _Bounty_, the cruiser's main cannon included, the combined fire piercing the shields and shattering one of the forward prongs and canceling the Arc-En-Ciel charge buildup.

"Justice Rider strikes again!" came the male voice again that Chrono recognized instantly recognized, and wondered if it was for real.

"Karel, shut your trap and focus on the weapons!" came Liera's voice in the background, while a video screen finally opened up next to him, displaying a face he hadn't seen for awhile and didn't expect to see right now.

"Amy!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with equal parts joy and relief.

"Sorry we're late," Amy told him with a wry grin, her focus on the navigation panel. "Took us a bit longer than expected to organize Earth's worldwide counter-attack. We did, however, manage to seize these ships and make our way here."

"And we did it in morse code, and also Liera's computer virus!" Karel added, enthusiasm in his voice.

"You make it sound like a bad movie," his sister complained.

"Shut up you two, and focus!" Amy barked at them, then returned to face the screen. "We'll take care of this ship and send the transports to the surface to help with the ground fight. I wish it was all good news, though. We intercepted transmissions that a fleet of fifteen ships is on the way and will arrive soon." Chrono inhaled sharply, knowing what it meant, even as his wife spelled it out for him. "For better or worse, we have to win this thing in an hour, or we lose."

x~~*~~x

With the Mariages returning to the fight and the second giant now so much scrap, things were beginning to turn around again, especially since Nanoha could focus more on bombardment support and giving orders when the static from the jamming occasionally lifted. Already, several groups had managed to take over guard stations in the walls, pushing back the Bureau army and a few had even advanced into Clanagan, but it still wasn't enough. The Bureau charge that had threatened their line earlier had been blunted somehow, but they still needed to make progress or this whole battle would be for nothing.

Nanoha figured that, as their leader, it was up to her to provide a way forward.

"[All units, this is General Seikou; line up behind me and follow my lead,]" she ordered using wide-broadcast telepathy. "[I am going to open a path, and we'll charge in. Once we're in Clanagan, spread out and make your way to the central spire. They'll have a tougher time stopping us that way. Pass this message to as many others as you can.]"

She didn't wait for confirmation, partially hoping that her actions would speak for themselves. "Raging Heart."

Her device responded, forming the staff handle which Nanoha grabbed with both hands after slinging the Strike Cannon over her back. "A.C.S., standby. Strike Blaze."

She took her stance as three pairs of pink wings sprouted form the base of the spear head, and a long pink blade popped out of the tip. "Excelion Buster, Full Drive!"

The booster rocket on the end of her staff ignited, propelling her straight for the wall while the wings shifted and encompassed her body, turning her into a veritable pink comet. Focusing all her magical strength, she impacted the magically reinforced barrier wall, the pink tip forcing itself in while Raging Heart rapidly loaded the remaining cartridges in the magazine to build up the necessary charge.

"Break... Shoot!"

The built-up charge erupted forth and the wall exploded outward, creating a large hole dozens of meters across before entire bulwark section collapsed. Nanoha's momentum carried her through as Mariages and rebels streamed in shortly after her. She bombarded the supply depots that were set up just inside the wall, but kept flying forward to lead the way and simultaneously threaten the rear. She also knew that if she kept heading directly for the spire, she could confront Hayate and hopefully end this once and for all, however she never made it that far; she was forced to abort her flight about halfway there by someone floating in her path.

"Hello!" the woman with the eye patch greeted cheerfully, delicious grin gracing her titillated expression. "I'm Cypha of Huckbein; I don't believe we've met..."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

It occurred to me that I hadn't punched anyone in the gut lately. :O

Tried to get some focus on different characters this time, especially with quite a bit going on; hope everyone can keep track! But if you wanted more of Nanoha specifically, you'll get more in the following chapters, as fights conclude in possibly unexpected ways. Next chapter is tentatively titled "A Matter of Time" but I may be forced to insert a chapter if I have too much material to go through that I am unable to streamline. Regarding the Hucks: look for some explanations next chapter to find out what's goin' on with them.

Lastly, honestly, sometimes it's really hard to avoid making the obvious Star Wars/Princess Bride references. x_x

Nanoha: "_I am the Dread Destroyer, Seikou. There will be no survivors! Many are here. I am here. But soon, *you* will not be here. The Dread Destroyer Seikou takes no survivors! All your worst nightmares are about to come true! The Dread Destroyer Seikou is here for your soooouuuls!"_


	32. Gauntlet

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 32: Gauntlet**

Xx~~*~~xX

It was only thanks to Raging Heart swinging one of the Fortress shields around that the sword strike was even blocked at all; apparently Cypha didn't waste time, nor care too much about her adversary's name. But that action wasn't enough, as the swordswoman twisted around the shield and struck directly, easily slicing diagonally through Nanoha's Round Shield as if it wasn't there, while slicing Raging Heart's shaft in half and leaving a diagonal gash along along her chest.

Nanoha quickly retreated while firing off a volley of Axel Shooter orbs to cover her escape, surprised that someone had so easily gone through all her defenses, but that was only the first of three unexpected revelations about her opponent. The second was was that Cypha hadn't followed upon the attack, and instead just floated there with an intrigued grin on her face. The third was that Nanoha's entire volley of shots simply fizzled before striking. Who was this woman? Was she part of the Bureau? She didn't seem like someone Hayate would use, but then again, Nanoha had learned long ago to not take anything this world threw at her for granted.

"Not bad; you may provide some entertainment after all," Cypha stated approvingly. "At least, you're nothing like those sterile virtual reality chambers the Bureau uses to trick our minds into thinking we've actually injured or killed something. It's been so long since I've been able to fight in the real world, so I think I am going to draw this out, and savor it for as long as possible..."

"I am General Seikou, and I have urgent business with Hayate," Nanoha informed the woman, placing both halves of Raging Heart's staff together and reforming it with a recovery spell. "I don't have time to play with you; stand aside."

"Seikou?" she questioned, amused, casually twirling her sword around. "I suppose it's good to have your name; it does make the kill more personal and satisfying. I just knew that if I waited here, the strongest member of this army would reach me first. I hope you don't disappoint. Normally I might let you pass, but I have a job to exterminate this rebel army, and it's a good idea to start with the head, so don't take this too personally."

[I guess I'm going to have to fight,] Nanoha decided, releasing Raging Heart to standalone flight mode once more. Her device had been feeding her information, letting her know that there was a definite anti-magic element present. ["Huckbein" she said? Teana mentioned that a Stella of Huckbein that had been manipulating those giants, and that they had some sort of magic nullification technique. Are they related? Time to find out...]

She swung her Strike Cannon back down from it's position on her back, opening the barrel. "If you want a fight, I'll give you one."

"And you came prepared," Cypha noted approvingly, raising her sword. "That will make this all the more interesting. I should get prepared, too."

Nanoha stared as the eye-patched woman deliberately cut her arm. There was a flash of some kind of magical power that engulfed Cypha, but when it finally died down, the swordswoman was now wielding two blades much bigger than the initial one. Cypha, however, apparently wasn't one to give her adversary any time to be impressed, as she sped towards Nanoha with a manic grin.

One of her shields barely rotated into place to block the attack in time while Nanoha retreated and prepared to shoot, but she was taken by surprise at the Huckbein woman's speed. While a shield blocked one of the swords, Cypha struck out with the other, and the barrel of her Strike Cannon was sliced off when Nanoha attempted to use it as a last minute block. Then Cypha reversed the motion and slammed the hilt of her weapon into the mage's stomach. Nanoha partially doubled over, gasping, but managed to bring the other two shields around and force Cypha away; however, she got the distinct impression her opponent was merely toying with her.

She glanced down at her sawed off cannon while recovering from the attack. [Well, this isn't going to work so well now. Without the barrel, the only accuracy I could hope for would be at close range. And while my shields can block her swords, the Fortress system is weighing me down; I can't hope to match her speed. Do I have to disconnect it to stand a chance?]

And by the look on Cypha's face, her opponent knew exactly how the odds had shifted. "Those were quaint weapons when we faced them before, but I've had plenty of time to think of how to deal with them. Let's see you squirm a little more!"

Nanoha readied a shot, figuring her opponent would change the angle of approach to hit a flank instead of charging straight on. She was partially correct and maneuvered her shields into a spread that only left one opening from that angle while firing several bursts of energy into the hole, but to her surprise, Cypha didn't bother to dodge and came straight through, weathering the storm of shots with a bloody maniacal grin. With fatalistic clarity, Nanoha realized those blades would end up piercing her this time.

"Nanoha!" came a familiar shout, accompanied by the sound of metal striking metal.

"Fate-chan?" Nanoha questioned in surprise to the twin-tailed woman in front of her, blocking Cypha's pair of swords with her own, then blinked. "You changed your hair?" When she had last met her friend, her hair was still gold with a single ponytail; now it was blue with twin tails.

Fate forced the Huckbein swordswoman to retreat, then took a breath and glanced up at her blue bangs, slightly chagrined. "Oh, I guess I forgot about that. It's a long story, but it will have to wait." She turned to address their mutual opponent. "Cypha. Why are you out? Did you manage to escape in the confusion?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Cypha replied with the excitement of a kid about to share an important secret. "Hayate hired me for a job, and we Huckbein always finish our jobs."

"She wouldn't..." Fate almost whispered, and then shook her head. "No, it's time I faced up to the truth; Hayate would. Nanoha, I'll handle this, you go find Hayate and stop her. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but something changed along the way. Something's not right with her and I can see it now, and I'm not sure why I couldn't before."

Nanoha felt emotion welling up inside her. "So that means you-"

Fate shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure which way is right; even now I still find myself agreeing with how Hayate has handled things. I just know that us fighting about it is wrong. There has to be a way we can come to an understanding. That's all I'm fighting for now. Go, do what you do best. I'll be fine; I know how to handle her; Bardiche has an AEC mode."

Nanoha met Fate's eyes for a moment, and for the first time in a long while, mutual understanding passed between them. Then she nodded firmly and took off.

"Where do you think you're-" Cypha started to say, moving to intercept Nanoha, but Fate blocked her.

"Your opponent is me," Nanoha heard Fate say as she continued to fly away, but soon she was out of earshot, and she gave a final prayer while the spire loomed large in her view.

[Fate-chan, please be safe.]

x~~*~~x

Hayate finally retracted her hand, from where it had been hovering over a button for the past few minutes. For a moment, she thought she might have to trigger the explosive embedded in Cypha's brain, to make sure she didn't kill Nanoha. But the arrival of Fate, while catching the Supreme Commander off guard, belayed the need for that procedure. She didn't know what possessed Fate to take the actions she did, but that's something she'd discuss with her Enforcer Commander later. Right now, she had something else she needed to focus on.

"I'll be going out," Hayate informed her command center techs while getting up from her seat. "I'll be dealing with the enemy leader personally. Once I take her out, we can put an end to this rebellion."

[Once Nanoha realizes what's at stake and joins us,] she added mentally, heading to the door. [And if she doesn't, I'll...] She trailed off, pausing as the door slid closed behind her, then shook her head. [Well, it will be just like before, when I thought she was just a tool created by Jail; she's too dangerous to... what?]

"[Hayate?]" Rein's voice echoed from inside, tinged with concern.

The Mistress of the Wolkenritter put a hand to her head. "[I'm... fine. I just have to put my personal feelings aside, like I've always done. If this was anyone else besides Nanoha, I wouldn't be questioning things. I can't allow special treatment nor show favoritism.]" She didn't know if she was telling that to herself, Rein, or someone else, but the effect was the same. "[I will have... I must have... order, peace, and security, so we don't lose any...] Her thoughts trailed off.

The Supreme Commander of the Time-Space Administration Bureau shook her head once more to clear her mind, turned on her heel, and strode down the corridor; she had a rebellion to end.

x~~*~~x

"Something wrong?" Jail inquired, glancing back to where Quattro had paused.

A slow smile spread across the #4 cyborg's face. "No. Just confirming that my block was still in place and successful, so that Teana and Fate would be unable to contact Hayate. Also, I have some more good news: Hayate has just left the command center to engage Nanoha."

"Well, then, let's get set up, shall we?" the doctor suggested, glancing over to the two unconscious forms that Due was holding, his grin widening. "We mustn't waste time, after all."

x~~*~~x

Einhart had managed to take Fortis out of the bunker, following the path of Vivio, and in the wake of their departure, green threads shot out once more.

"Look out!" Givo shouted, managing to leap to his feet and interpose himself in front of Ix, such that the binds grabbed him instead. He grit his teeth and glared at the woman. "Leave her alone!"

Despite his bravado, he wasn't feeling very strong at the moment and could little more than give Shamal dirty looks as she advanced on him. He tried to break the binds, or do something, however his magic felt small next to the emerald-dressed woman. But then he suddenly felt a surge of strength and the bind snapped, and he found himself running at Shamal while shouting at the top of his lungs, cocking his magic-charged fist back for a punch.

It slammed into a green shield, proving that while she had a shocked expression on her face, she wasn't entirely caught by surprise. "I didn't think you had enough magic for that, which must mean..." Her eyes drifted across the way. "You're responsible!"

Layla, now conscious again with her magic circle active and Kerykeion glowing brightly on the back of her hands, continued to boost Givo's magic powers as she struggled to rise. "I'll echo his sentiment and add to it: leave them both alone."

"Zafira!" Shamal called for assistance, taking a step back while raising her other hand to ensnare Layla in binds.

The Guardian Beast, still in human form, turned his head slightly at the call, but Garyuu took that moment to strike, slithering out an arm tentacle to wrap around his opponent's arm and yank him against a wall. Zafira howled, white spikes shooting up from the ground, forcing Garyuu to release his grip and jump away. Shifting to wolf form, the Guardian Beast rammed his adversary, aiming to bash him into a wall, but the humanoid bug wrapped his arms around his opponent and quickly twisted in mid-air so that the impact was felt by both. The pair of adversaries slowly regained their feet, gazing at each other warily.

But further combat was put on hold, as a purple-haired summoner came to. "Thank you, Garyuu, but I'm okay now, and this fight is over." While she regained her feet, dozens of pink daggers surrounded Shamal, making their point clear. "Both of you surrender; you're outnumbered, and Shamal, I don't think you can shield against all of them."

The Wolkenritter doctor glanced around around warily, but it was ultimately the appearance of a pair of Mariage that finally made her cancel her binds, dismantle the communications jamming barrier, and raise her hands. Givo assisted Lutecia in binding both Shamal and Zafira while the Mariage kept them under watchful guard.

Layla smiled warmly as Givo and Ix traded grins and high-fives, but her joy didn't last long as her device began feeding her a message.

"Layla, what is it?" Lutecia asked, noticing the slowly forming apprehension on her new pupil's face.

"I'm getting a message from Strada, relayed from Kerykeion," she replied, suddenly troubled by what she was seeing and feeling. "No!"

Givo and Ix turned their attention to join in Lutecia's stare, as a pink summoning square appeared beneath the daughter of Caro Mondail.

x~~*~~x

[And you're going behind me again!] Vivio through triumphantly having learned Deville's attack patterns. She spun in mid-air to catch Deville in the abs with a kick that could fell trees easily.

The armored axeman barely moved.

Vivio smacked the descending ax blade aside with her left hand while punching with a charged right hook, but Deville blocked it with his left forearm, then twisted and thrust the shaft of the axe into her stomach. It was too close and too quick for Vivio to block or counter, but that meant it also lacked much force. Still, it doubled her over slightly and forced her to cover her face from his rising knee. The impact sent shudders through her body and knocked her upper body up, but she went with the flipping motion and whipped her leg up, smacking an armored chin in a move she hoped would at least dizzy him. However, he smashed that hope when he grabbed her ankle with his left hand, spun her around, and tossed her towards the ground.

She recovered just in time to see him swing his axe down, producing a shock wave that she barely got her forearms up to block. The impact sent her streaking to the ground at a 45 degree angle, crashing through a pair of rock formations and and tearing up a large section of wasteland before coming to a stop. A bit shakily, though, she managed to pull herself to her feet, wiping the blood from a cracked lip and wincing at the numbness in her arms, noticing that the attack had destroyed most of her barrier jacket, thus leaving her arms bare.

[If I didn't have some measure of my Saint's Armor protecting my body, I would have lost my arms to that,] she realized with a disturbing implication. It was something she thought she had lost long ago, but a semblance of it grew back later, just enough to give her a considerable amount of toughness. [Still, I don't have full use of it without a relic, unless...]

"As Fortis said, you cannot win against us," Deville's gruff voice came from inside the armor he now wore. He put it on shortly after they began their mid-air fight, and Vivio had been hard pressed to deal any damage to him after; it was like punching solid titanium. "My armor protects me from any physical attack you might try, and you've already discovered I can de-link magic particles from any spell. Give up."

Vivio glared at him evenly. "No one is invincible." But she was hard-pressed to come up with a way to counter his defenses, until a white bunny floated up in front of her and spread its arms wide, the intent clear. "Kris, you don't mean...? You know that if I do..." Vivio hugged herself, but the little bunny nodded and then patted it's masters forehead; Vivio broke down and hugged it to her face. "Alright, I understand. Sorry, Kris."

Einhart's voice sounded in her head. "[I can sense what you're planning; you're going to release the seal, aren't you?]"

"[I don't think we have a choice, not if we want to finish these guys quick and get back to protecting Nanoha,]" Vivio replied, then took a breath and intoned: "Sacred Heart, release limiter; Fusion mode setup!"

The stuffed animal coating began to dissolve, revealing a small red crystal underneath, while soft pink light enveloped Vivio's barrier jacket. It wasn't just mending and reforming it, but restructuring its very nature, turning the white outer coat black to match the rest of her armor, and then the device merged with her linker core. Sacred Heart had been modified long ago to mimic a relic and thus allowed her to access the full strength of her Saint's Armor for a limited time; afterward, the device would burn out and need repairs. It was only a copy for temporary and emergency use only, but Deville was unlike anyone she had ever fought.

"I don't know what that was supposed to do, but you still have a problem," the Huckbein member informed her. "You can't defeat me."

"I _did_ have a problem," she corrected, her face slightly lowered. "During the war 20 years, I let myself get too comfortable with my strength and it led to the loss of someone my mother and I cared about. Ever since the war, I held a certain fear of letting myself go ever again, lest I hurt someone terribly once more; it can be really hard to control my strength." She glanced up at him, fixing him a deathly serious half-grin. "But you can take it, can't you, big guy? With Sacred Heart giving me all it's power and trust, I don't have to hold back; I can show you just what the Saint Kaiser is capable of."

Her multicolored Belkan triangle flared under her feet, lifting small rocks off the ground with the force of the gathering mana, and then Vivio had pushed off the ground with incredible speed, heading straight for her adversary. Deville swung his ax down, but only succeeded in cleaving her afterimage in two, suddenly realizing she had used some kind of short range speed move to appear behind him. The powerful right hook hammered his jaw as his head turned around, rocketing him across the sky uncontrollably, but Vivio wasn't done. Executing a second Flash Move, she appeared in his path with hands locked together above her head, slamming them down on her opponent and sending the big man into the ground, creating a crater several meters deep and dozens of meters wide.

"Get up," Vivio commanded, landing at the crater's edge, but inwardly she was a bit disheartened, as while his armor showed a few hairline fractures, it was still intact.

And he was getting up, letting Vivio know that, despite her increased power, this fight was far from over.

x~~*~~x

"That almost looked like..." Fortis started to say from where he floated in the air, eyeing what had just happened not too far away, still shocked someone had tossed Deville around like that.

"A relic, otherwise known as an artificial linker core," Einhart finished for him, a small smile appearing on her face, her own barrier jacket sporting several crisscrossing gashes from claws; she hadn't been doing so well against her own opponent; Fortis was good. "Ancient Belkans modified their bodies long ago to be able to accept them to allow a greater processing of mana, but not everyone can use it. However, she isn't the only one with the body of an ancient Belkan; Asterion!"

Fortis's eyes narrowed as Einhart's device mimic the procedure that the Saint Kaiser's had undergone, but unlike Deville, he wasn't about to give her time to get in the first attack. He charged at her, confident in his ability to land strikes on her as he had previously; she was good, but he knew there was no way she could compensate for his ability to regenerate. He need only wear her down.

Her body stopped glowing a fraction of a second before she firmly grabbed the forearm of his outstretched claw, smoothly flowing into his guard to elbow him in the stomach with her left arm, and then smacking him in the face with the fist. Stunned, he felt her flip over him, pulling both arms back and dislocating them in the process, while simultaneously kicking him in the back with a powerful motion that took advantage of his forward momentum to propel him into the ground.

As he spit out blood and dirt and regained his feet, his eyes narrowed; something was clearly different, and he couldn't figure out what. She hadn't increased her speed at all, but he was still unable to decide why she had so aptly handled him. The entire attack sequence had seemingly only taken a few seconds.

Einhart gave him a hint as to the answer. "You may know Strike Arts mentally, and you may be learning a few of my Kaiser Art moves, but you're still a thinker. Martial Arts isn't about thinking; it's about feeling the battle on an instinctual level, letting your body react to the flow, because muscle memory will always react faster than the mind. That's skill, and that's the difference between us." She landed on the ground to stand opposite him, assuming a stance he hadn't seen before by turning her body's left side towards him, thrusting out her left hand and arching her right over her head. "And it's time I showed you why my specialty is skill itself."

"It doesn't matter what you do," he replied, shaking his head as his regeneration finished repairing the damage sustained in the last attack. "My endurance is greater."

She smiled evenly. "Let's find out."

x~~*~~x

"Tre?" Deed questioned, her blades barely holding back the #3 cyborg's IS wing blades.

Tears continued to stream down her cheeks while the eyes focused in on the cyborg nun's face, but the overall facial features were expressionless as the chant was repeated. "Help us... stop us..."

"[I don't think they're clones,]" Otto informed her sister, sending a wave of beams to keep Sette off-balance "[Thermal readings are very low, so possibly robot duplicates given their general lack of expression and almost complete lack of vital signs, but I do believe Quattro downloaded their battle data. She might have been trying to keep the information purely technical, but some of Tre and Sette's personality seeped in.]"

"[Are you saying they might even be aware of themselves at some level?]" Deed questioned, twisting and slashing Tre away.

"[It's only a theory, but I wouldn't put it past Quattro to do this specifically to throw off people like us,]" Otto replied, darting through the sky and exchanging fire with her opponent. "[Either way, we know now why they aren't quite as strong as the originals, and thus we can eliminate them.]" She grabbed her arm and winced from an earlier cut. "[But not by much.]"

Heightened by this knowledge, Deed decided to go on the offensive, flying in and meeting the Tre duplicate head on. The two rebounded off each other several times, but now that she was calmer about what she was fighting, Deed managed to deliver several nicks on her opponent while receiving none in return. Still, the droning was more than a bit creepy.

"Help us... stop us... kill us..." Tre mumbled over and over, eyes shifting to stare almost blankly at Deed.

Shivering, Deed backtracked to gain some distance, and realized that despite her new-found courage, this was taking too long. They were supposed to have organized the prisoners and attacked the Bureau army's rear by now. She was beginning to regret sending Verossa off with Schach; they really could have used their help.

She said as much to Otto. "[I take it you've come up with a strategy by now?]"

"[You know me too well,]" the #8 cyborg and tactical strategist replied, flying backwards by firing a wide spread, trying to keep her increasingly persistent adversary at bay. "[They do seem to share a certain learning adaptability which seems to be shared by a network they are all linked to, so any tactic we use won't work more than once or twice. We'll have to take them all out at once. Cover me, and I'll go for a max Ray Storm burst.]"

The #12 cyborg took a deep breath, realizing that she'd have to somehow hold Tre and Sette off. "[You are going to owe me big time for this.]"

Deed suddenly changed direction in mid-air, though, heading straight for Sette. While partially caught off-guard, Sette managed to compensate by sending several boomerang blades at her. Deed slashed through them and kept coming, realizing that Tre was right on her tail. While it was good the #3 clone wasn't going after Otto, Deed was about to be sandwiched between both opponents if she stopped to actually engage Sette. She spared only a single slash at the #7 cyborg, and then sharply changed angles before twisting and throwing one of her swords straight back.

Just as she figured, Tre was still right behind her and easily dodged the projectile, but her body had blocked it from Sette's sight and thus caught the cyborg by surprise. The blade impaled Sette's upper torso, but that was all Deed had time to notice before Tre was in her face again, and with only one sword, she was finding it difficult to hold the #3 cyborg off, receiving several slashes to her arms and legs as they danced and rebounded off each other.

"[Otto, hurry!]" Deed sent urgently, wincing from the pain; she couldn't block everything with just one sword.

She didn't have to wait long for Otto's response. "[Now!]"

Deed kicked Tre away and covered her eyes as Otto unleashed her full powers. Dozens of beams rained down from high above, the first few finding the duplicates the cyborg sisters had been fighting while the rest accurately homed in on the cyborgs fighting the inmates down below. Otto had locked on to all of them while charging, and tore the robot duplicates apart with several well-placed shots each.

When it was over, Deed quickly flew up to catch Otto, who was panting heavily; the full charge barrage was considerably draining, and she knew it would take Otto several minutes to recover.

"Did I get them all?" Otto asked, blinking a few times.

Deed surveyed the wreckage of the robots. "I think we did. Now let's organize this prisoners and... wait, I think one is still... oh no..."

She floated down to the base of the prison wall, where a certain inert Tre was covering the Sette duplicate Deed had impaled earlier. But the more disturbing sight, was the considerable cooked flesh and blood among the charred and twisted mechanical exoskeleton, now exposed on Tre's backside. In an instant, Deed realized the horrible implications, but Otto confirmed her fears.

"It looks like we were fighting the zombiefied versions of the real ones after all," Otto stated sadly, an unstable note in her voice. "From the looks of the wreckage, the others were robots, but these two were real."

"You did... right thing," Sette intoned, shakily and slowly pushing the sister who saved her, off her body. Her eyes were unfocused, unseeing, and her face still expressionless. "Please... me too..."

Deed glanced at Otto, the two realizing the awful truth, but Otto spoke it anyway. "They're already dead. There may be some small semblance of brain activity due to mechanical implants, but they're too far gone. Her body is still trying to carry out the combat orders; she's little more than a robot herself, and she's lost a lot of blood already. There is only one thing we can do... and I don't have the energy for it."

Knowing what her sister meant didn't make it any easier for Deed, but she also knew Sette; the #7 cyborg was a warrior in the truest sense of the word and wouldn't have wanted this. She would have wanted a warrior's death in battle, not this semi-zombie existence. Clenching her eyes shut briefly against a forming wetness, Deed raised her remaining katana as Sette stood, clutching a single boomerang sword while teetering and shuffling forward, her programming driving her onwards.

Just before Deed swung her weapon down, she could swear she saw the #7 cyborg finally smile.

x~~*~~x

Teana's multitasking skills were being pushed to their limit. On one hand, she had to organize her sisters tactically in order to fend off and draw the brainwashed and/or cloned versions of Ginga, Cinque, and Dieci out of the lab, like Nove had done with the former. And until she knew exactly what was going on, they couldn't use more lethal moves. But at the least, she had to pull the battle out of the lab, or risk Subaru's pod being broken, and it was a difficult task; their opponents seemed hell bent on staying in the area.

"[Wendi, I'll cover for you!]" Teana sent telepathically while running and firing calculated shots at Cinque's tossed daggers; she couldn't let even one of them explode. "[Grab Dieci and fly out of here; her cannon holds the biggest risk of destruction!]"

"[Easier said than done!]" The air-surfing cyborg growled, but Teana knew she'd do it. "[Here I go, hope you can do it!]"

"Crossfire shoot!" Teana cried, increasing her rate of fire to accompany the barrage. [Control.]

The hail of shots split off, some aiming to keep Cinque occupied, while others sought to get Dieci's attention. The #10 cyborg turned to fire, but Teana's shots were faster and thus Dieci aborted to leap out of the way, giving Wendi her opening to swoop in, snag her sister with an arm, and quickly making her way out the hole the trio had entered from. With that out of the way, Teana instincts forced her to jump behind cover suddenly, as daggers came raining in. She survived the explosions, but dearly hoped the computer bank that had just bitten it didn't contain any important information.

"More files retrieved matching keywords specified," Cross Mirage informed her, letting her know about the third subject she was splitting her concentration between. Her device had been slowly working through the data files as it decrypted the protection software, and then informing her about what it found based on set criteria.

"Report," the ex-Enforcer and ex-Director ordered, leaping from cover and firing on Cinque again, trying to draw her fire from any sensitive targets. Since Nove had taken Ginga out of the room earlier, that only left Teana and the #5 cyborg, who had proven much more difficult to lure out of the area.

A holographic window opened up that she quickly glanced at, while trying to keep Cinque entertained. [These are blueprints for the spire... what does Jail intend to do there?] She took the time to glance at a second screen of data while ducking behind a cubicle wall partition. [Project Luciferon? What is that? Is he planning to... it can't be... I had read Fate's reports, but didn't think-]

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as Cinque appeared in the air above her, hands clutching several daggers each. Teana cursed herself for getting too distracted and abruptly put up a shield shortly before the metal rain began, Cinque's weapons exploding upon contact. The eruptions helped toss the gun mage clear, but despite her aching body, she rolled to her feet and sprung out of the way as more daggers embedded themselves into the metal floor all around her.

"I'm getting too old for this," Teana mumbled as she leapt through the air, twisting her feet up and firing downward with both guns, tracking the shorter woman's quick movement. "Got you!"

Two of the bullets arced around the empty lifepod and came in on the other side, detonating while Teana landed back on her feet and quickly changed cartridges. The #5 cyborg came rolling out the other side, shedding her now-tattered tan AMF coat.

[Should have realized it wouldn't be that easy,] Teana growled internally. [Forgot about that thing. Now I just need-]

"[Hey, you figured out what we're fighting yet?]" Nove's voice came blasting in her head. "[I'm killing myself here, trying to hold back while trying to keep Ginga away from the lab!]"

"[Not yet,]" Teana replied, keeping one eye on Cinque and their surroundings, while her other eye glanced at a scrolling screen of data. "[Just try your-]"

The standoff finally ended when Cinque came charging in, tossing daggers. Teana leapt and rolled, firing the entire time, orange bullets meeting almost every thrown dagger. Some missed, but Teana was aiming those for Cinque herself, grim satisfaction when several clipped the #5 cyborg's arms and spun her around to the ground. Teana continued her roll and came up on her feet, but a nearby explosion from a missed dagger tossed her back against a hard metal surface. Stars exploded in her vision, but quickly went away.

The concern in Nove's voice was quite audible. "[Teana? Teana!]"

Pictures on a holo-screen in the corner of her eye caught her attention. "[I'm fine, and I think I finally found the file on our sisters and... oh god, it's all true! According to Jail's data, he saved them and brainwashed them, except for Subaru who is only being kept alive by the life pod. Take them down, but be careful and...]" Something else caught Teana's attention; in the temporary quiet, the sound of leaking water was deafening. With a horrible feeling in her gut, she glanced to her right, now noticing that she was up against the base of a life pod and a small stream of liquid was leaking out of a tiny crack that was slowly spreading.

_Subaru's_ life pod.

As Cinque emerged with daggers once more, Teana realized the fight had just gained a terrifying time limit.

x~~*~~x

With the large opening in the wall, the tide of battle began to shift; Mariages and rebels poured in through the gaps, outflanking the Enforcers and soldiers and attacking their rear, forcing the Bureau army to fall back.

Rio slapped her hands together, catching the flaming sword between them, preventing her head from being sliced open, but seething in pain as her hands were partially burned. Then Signum twisted and whacked her across the head with her scabbard, sending Rio tumbling across the street. The purple-haired Strike Arts adept managed to flip to her feet and leap into the cover of a ruined building, barely getting out of the way as the fiery snake of Levantein's _Shlangeform_ sought her out.

"Flying Dragon," Signum said in a low voice, gathering her magic. "Flash!"

Rio's eyes widened upon hearing the call, and sprinted towards the other end of the building as Signum sought to bring it down upon her; the Belkan knight's magical fiery whirlwind engulfing the ancient structure. Rio barely leapt out through a broken window and pass through the wall of the blazing tornado before everything came down, but she only found her opponent there waiting for her, bow in her hands.

The Belkan knight wasted no time in releasing her attack. "Sturm Falke!"

With horrifying clarity, Rio knew in an instant that she was too close to properly dodge since she'd still get caught in the explosion; and her shield wouldn't stand up too well to the attack. A strange sense of calm came over her as she watched the arrow of light grow larger in her vision, accepting her imminent death, at least satisfied that she and Corona had blunted the Bureau army's charge. Nanoha had managed to penetrate the wall, so the real fight was now taking place in the streets of Clanagan.

"RIO!" Corona called as an earthen wall sprang up in front of the resistance leader. The impact explosion tossed Rio clear, her barrier jacket singed, but her body still in one piece.

"Keep your eyes focused on your own fight!" Vita shouted, leaping in and bringing her Rocket Hammer around.

Corona barely shifted her golem to the left in time, but the attack still took out her golem's right arm and a large chunk of the torso. Corona retaliated with the golem's head beam while backtracking clumsily, but Vita merely shielded against, although the attack bought her some breathing space. She was just grateful that Rio appeared mostly unhurt, and was now getting to her feet and facing Signum once more.

"It's over, Signum, we don't have to do this anymore," Rio beseeched her opponent, but still taking a fighting stance. They had at least slowed the charge by engaging the enemy generals, but as she feared, they wouldn't last too much longer at this rate; she needed to buy more time. "We're going to win today and change the Bureau. If you care about Hayate, then convince her to surrender! Do you really want more blood on your hands?"

"It has nothing to do with what I want," Signum replied, her voice nearly unreadable. "But for my master's wish, I will stain my hands red with blood. For her happiness, I will gladly dirty myself. She gave us many years of peace, of happiness, and showed us the love of a family, and I am thankful for that, so I will do everything in my power to protect her desires. If you wish to stop me, you will have to try harder."

"How about you, Vita?" Corona added, reforming her golem's torso and arm with the rubble of concrete all around them, but leaving a small hole to look out of. "Is Hayate's world so important to you, that you'd fill it with death and destruction? I remember that you didn't used to be like this..."

The small hammer knight bared her teeth in fierce anger, but her eyes appeared a bit watery. "You don't understand anything! Hayate is... Hayate is... she's trying her best to protect everyone, and so we'll protect her!"

"Our responses won't change, no matter how many times you ask us," Signum informed them evenly, readying her sword. "You should know that by now."

"So you'll cut down as many friends and allies, no matter who they are," Rio questioned, her eyes showing disgust. "I thought you had some honor during the war, but then you tried to kill your own comrade. I don't know what passed between you and Agito because she never talked about it, but I have one question left: Is she still alive?"

The purple-haired resistance leader expected an attack in anger, but was bewildered when Signum paused strangely. "That was Agito's choice. She merely attempted to fulfill the promise we made long ago, that if I strayed from the path of a former master, she would end me with her flame. She failed to do so. I cannot be killed unless Hayate is, and as long as I live, I cannot allow Hayate to come to harm. If you wish to stop her, then stop me."

Rio stared at her opponent, suddenly learning more about her on-again, off-again adversary in these past few moments, then she had during the many years she had known the woman. The Belkan Knight was caught in a dishonorable situation that she recognized, but felt powerless to do anything about. Signum was basically telling Rio to kill her, and then stop Hayate, but she had to oppose Rio no matter what. If the Strike Arts master was reading the small cracks in Signum's normally stoic facial expressions correctly, the Belkan knight was loaded with guilt, especially over Agito.

"Vita, you feel the same?" Corona asked, observing the twin tricks of water flowing down the hammer knight's cheeks. Apparently Corona had picked up on the subtext, too.

Vita quickly rubbed her face on her sleeve. "We serve Hayate, and will do so until we die. If you want to stop us, you'll have to come at us with more than you have. And I taught you both better than this!"

Rio glanced back over at Signum, then nodded her understanding slowly, her Belkan triangle flaring under her feet as she prepared her next spell. "Then let's finish this today, one way or another."

All four women took the measure of their opposite, their thoughts temporarily aligning in solemn understanding and agreement, before leaping towards battle once more.

x~~*~~x

"Hayate-chan," Nanoha called out softly, coming to a stop.

"Nanoha," Hayate responded, her expression unreadable. "I knew you'd come. And I knew that there would be a rebellion sooner or later; I just didn't expect you to be leading it."

The cloned mage couldn't resist a small, sad smile. "Me either. I didn't ask to be brought back, but after all I've learned and experienced, I couldn't just walk away."

"We know each other," Hayate beseeched her old friend. "I'm not the monster that some call me! Stop the fighting, and let's talk about this; you should be a part of the Bureau, with Fate-chan and I!"

"Fate said the same thing," Nanoha replied sadly. "But I can't stop this now. The people want change, and desire to be free, to have the Bureau return to the way it was. And for that to happen, you have to step down and turn it over to someone else."

"I can't!" Hayate protested, emotion now lacing her voice, but Nanoha noticed that there was some element of... instability in her old friend's eyes. "No one else can protect everyone like I can. Don't you see? You died! Shamal and Zafira, too, and so many others! The way things were wasn't good enough to protect you and the people we care about. Everything I've done is protect the rest of our friends and family, and everyone else! Only I understand that. And you should have come to me, and tried to talk with me before starting all this!"

Nanoha paused for a moment, already coming to the sad conclusion that this would be another confrontation she wouldn't be able to talk out, but yet felt compelled to try anyway. "I thought about it many times, but this world taught me that I had to change; I couldn't be who I was, if I wanted to confront the issues affecting people. I couldn't afford to, so in a way, I understand about the need to change. But you can only have so much security; we're never safe, and even if all your changes would have saved me, it wouldn't have been worth it. If we can't live our lives the way we want to, then all the security in the world is meaningless! Let go, Hayate-chan; it's time for us to step down and let the next generation take over."

The other woman was silent for a moment, and Nanoha could see the gears turn in Hayate's head accompanied by the slight quiver of eyes; and her next words dashed any hope of a peaceful resolution. "You don't understand. None of you understands. If I don't do this, we'll lose everything! If I have to defeat you to make you see, then I will!"

Nanoha gripped her neutered Strike Cannon tightly as Hayate raised her hand, but stayed unmoving as Hayate cast the dimensional barrier, shifting the pair of them into another space.

"My magic is too powerful and destructive, so I need to do this," Hayate informed her, the wild eyes settling down as her conviction became more firm. "Let's settle this, your magic against mine."

Nanoha nodded, and then reached her hands out to either side, dropping the damaged Strike Cannon from her right while taking a hold of Raging Heart's shaft in her left. "You're my friend, Hayate-chan, so for a better future, I'll come at you with everything I have."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

JimmyC said something awhile ago; something about expecting Sacred Heart to be something amazing underneath the stuffed animal exterior, and at some moment, would burst out of there. The thought stuck with me, and this was my conclusion. Einharts, though, was a bit more of a pull for me. Since she's descended from an Ancient Belkan, I just figure she's got the gene for it, and that her device was modeled after Vivio's. Even if it didn't happen in Vivid, I'm just gonna assume it was modified sometime after. :P

This chapter brought to you by the Mai HiME soundtrack (the music of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica made me want to listen to it). Stay tuned for the next chapter, which will actually be the chapter I mentioned last time: "A Matter of Time." Fate faces off against Cypha, while Nanoha confronts Hayate. The myrid remaining battles draw to a close in one fashion or another, but who will be left standing to claim the ultimate prize when it is revealed at long last? Place your bets!


	33. A Matter of Time

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 33: A Matter of Time**

Xx~~*~~xX

Chrono leapt to his feet. "Griffith! Lucino! Respond!"

Helpless, he watched the disable _Nova_ drift, trailing smoke and debris... and life pods. Communications had been lost a minute ago, and last he knew, both of them were on the bridge trying to organize the evacuation. Their reactor had been hit, and thus they were quickly losing power, which led to the call to abandon the ship. As everyone on the bridge watched in horrified shock, a gout of flame erupted from the side, and then consumed the entire ship in a brilliant explosion that mirrored the ship's name.

"Report!" Chrono ordered desperately. "How many lifepods?"

"Roughly 22 life pods detected, but it's difficult to detect life signs due to damage we've sustained," a female tech reported as the _Graham_ shuddered again. "Most of our shields are down, and the two remaining enemy cruisers are coming about; the _Gunthrie_ will be able to fire it's main cannon at us in approximately 3 minutes."

Shortly after Amy arrived, the _Bounty_ had signaled it's surrender; apparently, the captain had ordered the use of the Arc-En-Ciel above the protestations of the crew, who had used Amy's attack to mutiny. While damaged, it had joined the fight with the newly-christened _Freedom_, whom Liera was captaining. The addition of the two ships had helped turn the tide and force the surrender of another Bureau ship, and just now, the _Nova_ had risked a short-range pass to take a second out of action... but the cost had been fatal. His earlier elation that they just might pull through this, took a backseat to the decidedly uncomfortable feeling in his gut; taking note of the other ships destroyed or out of action, he was beginning to have doubts as to the wisdom of this course.

"Multiple hyperspace window openings detected!" the tech reporting, worried urgency in her voice. "It's the fleet!"

The forming dread in Chrono's stomach worsened as he watched the half-dozen pristine ships emerge from their respective spacial holes. There was no way his shattered fleet could stand up to that, yet he was unwilling to have things end like this after they had organized and planned for so long, risked so much, and paid a high price in blood. There had to be a way to keep this from ending; but how was he to take on twelve cruisers with three damaged ones and a small handful of various sized craft?

Vice appeared in a holo-window. "We have to take them from all sides now. Get in as close as possible and hope they hit each other while trying to hit us."

"At that range, we won't last long!" Chrono protested, but inwardly, he knew Vice was right.

"Rio will finish things on Mid-chila; we have to give her more time!" Vice shot back. "We can't let Griffith and Lucino's sacrifice be in vain!"

The _Freedom, _piloted by his wife, began it's turn towards the fleet even while a window opened showcasing her wrinkled but tender face. "He's right. We have to buy the ground forces as much time as possible. If they can take Hayate down, the ships should stand down."

Chrono grit his teeth, but prepared to give the order for all ships to turn and attack, wondering how history would remember this day, the final fight of Chrono Harlaown.

However, the command died on his lips as a face he hadn't seen in years appeared on the main screen. "This is Fleet Commander Chandra to all rebel ships in system, stand down. I repeat, stand down. We have you outgunned."

On an impulse, Chrono decided on a gamble and nodded to his tech to open two-way communication. "It's been a long time, Chandra."

She eyed him. "When I heard the reports you were leading this little crusade, I admit, I thought it was a joke. Not so much that you were still alive, but that uptight and slave-to-law-and-order Admiral Harlaown would even consider taking action against lawful forces."

"The rumors of my death were exaggerated, Chandra" he replied wryly, then he straightened. "And I thought I also taught you the importance of doing the right thing, no matter what stands in your way."

She sighed. "Among other things, such as ignoring the importance of rank and the chain of command when necessary. I was but a naive, eager cadet with stars in her eyes, serving under your command at the time, and then later your personal protege." Her nostalgic expression vanished. "But with that shared history, you've put me in a difficult spot. I'll probably lose a lot of sleep at your execution. The Supreme Commander doesn't stand for traitors."

Chrono picked his next words carefully; the lives of everyone under his command depended on it. "It doesn't have to be that way. All I ask is for all ships to stand down and await the conclusion of the fight below. The naval branch was once a separate command for a reason, and I just ask a return to that. If Hayate's forces are triumphant, we will surrender ourselves unconditionally. The _Graham's_ engines are still working and we can jump out anytime and start this over at a later time."

"So you're banking on the rebel forces overthrowing Hayate?" Chandra questioned disbelievingly. "That's quite a stretch, even for you. Then again, you always did like to gamble on long odds."

He couldn't help smiling. "You should know me by now. I won't ask you to join us, but you can appear busy cleaning up the system of rebel ships, by assisting the damaged ones and picking up life pods."

She paused, studying him, and he could see the wheels turn in her head as she considered her options. "Or I can blow you out of the sky right now." She glanced at something off screen, then sighed. "But it appears a bit of luck may be with you. Communications from the planet are down, so no one is issuing orders. Thus, I am at liberty to decide my own course of action. We will take time to make sure everyone is taken care of before heading to the planet." Chrono felt his insides lifting, but controlled his outward reaction as she raised a finger. "_But_ I have one more condition: you personally surrender and join me on my ship. Regardless of what happens, you aren't getting away from this. If Hayate wins, I want the head of the rebel fleet as a prize to save my own neck."

"Dad, you can't-!" Karel started to say, apparently listening in on the exchange.

Amy quickly shut him up. "He knows what he's doing! He can make his own decisions!"

Chrono swallowed, sparing a glance at his wife, who nodded slowly in understanding, before facing Chandra once more. "We'll lower our shields and allow you to transport me over at your leisure. And Chandra, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," she warned him. "After this is over, we may all regret this day."

x~~*~~x

"Excelion Buster!"

Several of the magical, hexagon shields rotated around Hayate to block the brilliant beam, easily deflecting the attack. Nanoha had never really fought Hayate before unless she counted the original Reinforce, but the similarities were there. Hayate didn't move around much to attack, but simply floated in one place mainly, safe behind her dual-shield system; the aforementioned outer layer which consisted of multiple magical hexagon shields that moved around, occasionally interlocking to intercept attacks, and an inner layer which was a simple solid white translucent barrier. Despite the cast times of Hayate's normal spells, the shields went up too quickly for her deal with, and since they were backed by the caster's large mana capacity, none of Nanoha's attacks were getting through; however, she aimed to change that.

"Blaster one!" she announced, increasing the firepower, then modified her spell. "Strike Stars!"

Dozens of magical missiles arced out from the attack to swarm Hayate's defense, but the remaining hexagon shields blocked each one with ease. For the most part Hayate had been content to let Nanoha try, absorbing attack after attack with only the occasional spell, perhaps to show Nanoha just how great the difference in their powers was in a bid to make her surrender.

Still, Hayate didn't seem quite content to let this go on, as she raised her staff and begun casting a much larger spell, with Nanoha powerless to stop her. "Come forth, the wind of snow, and become the fletching which falls from the heavens."

Nanoha's eyes widened in shock at the realization of the spell Hayate was forming as half a dozen white magic circles appeared around the Supreme Commander. [She'd use that kind of a wide-range spell here?] Filled with urgency, Nanoha ended her own attack quickly and poured on as much speed as she could while Hayate finished the spell and pointed her staff.

"Hraesvelgr!" she called out calmly, activating the magic that fired staggered bursts from the magical circles around her.

Somehow, Nanoha managed to get mostly out of range of the first brilliant white explosion with pure speed, but the second made her pull up short as it erupted in her path. The third and fourth cut off her upper and lower routes of escape, and her eyes reflected the fifth beam heading straight for her; with the wall of the dimensional barrier at her back, she was left with nowhere else to run.

She shifted her Fortress shields forward and poured everything she had into defense, throwing up a cartridge-powered barrier and several Round Shields as the blinding light engulfed her, recalling everything Yuuno had ever taught her about defensive spells. Still, the pure force of it violently shoved her back against the dimensional wall, shattering her shields one after another, yet somehow she hung on. When it was finally over, she found herself panting with the exertion, being greeted with the sight of her Fortress shields mere shells of their former selves.

"That is now one of my weaker spells," Hayate informed her casually. "I've had years to go through all the magical knowledge Reinforce had gathered and left in my linker core. Give up. Because of what you once did for me, I'm willing to offer you the chance to surrender. But no matter who it is, I can't let you bring down the Bureau!"

Nanoha came to a quick decision and jettisoned the shield system, as it was slowing her down anyway and wouldn't provide anymore defensive assistance. "You should know me by now. I won't give up, Hayate-chan. Not until I've convinced you to stop this. Remember Regius?"

"I'm not like Regius!" Hayate nearly screamed back, her expression wild, surprising Nanoha with the vehemence in her tone. "He worked outside the system, while I worked inside! Everything I did, the people wanted! Nothing I've done was illegal or outside the law, and I haven't struck any devil's bargains for unethical research. And now people can sleep at night knowing a rogue mage isn't going to threaten them! There will be no undead zombies unleashed, or major explosions, to kill people." She calmed down, but still fixing Nanoha with a glare. "And yet you bring those zombies back. No, I do know that you won't give up, so I'll have to defeat you totally.

She raised her staff into the air once more. "In lands both far and near, drown all creation within the black void; Diabolic Suppuration!"

Nanoha glanced around the area as dozens of familiar spheres of crackling black magic began to fill the dimensional space. She tightened her grip on Raging Heart and grit her teeth, realizing Hayate had only just begun to show her power.

x~~*~~x

"Damn it!" Nove cursed, regaining her feet and wiping blood from her lip after taking the Revolver Knuckle punch almost head on. "How do I beat her while still holding back so I don't kill her?"

"[You always did get your butt kicked by our eldest sister,]" Wendi provoke Nove, then grabbed her board with both arms and spun through the air, trying to avoid the large AA cannon fire being sent up by her own opponent. "[Woah!]"

Nove took off her airliner into the sky, Ginga matching her movements. "[And as I recall, you could barely take Dieci without help; I had to be the one to do it!]"

Instead of a return taunt, there was a short pause and then a thoughtful note in Wendi's mental voice. "[Hey, are you thinking what I'm thinking?]"

"[I think so, Wendi,]" Nove replied, just as studiously. "[Switch you dance partners?]" She promptly took off away from Ginga, forcing her opponent to give chase, then slapped Wendi's hand as her sister passed, continuing on and diving suddenly while firing her gun knuckle.

Dieci leapt from rooftop to rooftop to avoid it, but Nove's shots were calculated not to hit too directly, just give the long-range cyborg something to worry about. She aborted her fire as she dropped below building level, reactivating her Airliner and circling in through a window of an ruined parking garage. By her last estimate, Dieci was one more building over, and would probably be aiming to demolish this building with a charged shot, so Nove increased speed to maximum, shooting out of another window on her magic road a split second after Dieci fired, reducing the garage to rubble. The #10 cyborg tried to quickly redirect her aim, but Nove's advantage was speed, and shot straight up the side of the building Dieci was on.

Gunfire forced Dieci back towards the middle of the roof, but she took aim again at the building's edge, finger on the trigger as the airliner road arced over the edge and came straight for her. However, the concrete under her feet exploded as Nove came up from below, driving her fist into Dieci's stomach and doubling the woman over, and then smacking the cannon away with a roundhouse kick.

"Sorry, Dieci," Nove offered mournfully as her opponent tried to straighten up; the #9 cyborg put her down with a short calculated chop to the back of the head. "I"ll make it up to you, I promise."

She then looked up to see Wendi and Ginga engaged a mid-air dance, and then the air-surfing cyborg turned and headed straight for her opponent, jumping off her board while firing her arm cannons. Ginga shielded against it, then wound up a punch that Wendi blocked with crossed forearms, but Nove could now see her sister's plan; the surfboard had arced back around in the meantime and slammed into the back of Ginga's head. Wendi fired a shot into the stunned elder Nakajima sister's stomach and then grabbed her sister while falling, leveling off once the board came back around to catch them both.

Wendi pulled up beside Nove on the rooftop, flashing a V-sign. "Luckily Ginga wasn't entirely herself, or she would have never fallen for that."

Nove grinned, then focused her thoughts. "[Teana? We finally have Ginga and Dieci under control. How is-]"

She cut off by Teana's near panicked response. "[Both of you, get back here, _NOW!_]"

The two sisters glanced at each other, then grabbed their unconscious sisters and took off.

x~~*~~x

_Her face was just as beautiful as he remembered. "Caro... how I've waited..."_

_And her words were just as gentle, as she reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "I've missed you, too, Erio. I've been watching you; you found our daughter, like I knew you would."_

_"And we can be a family again!" he elated joyfully, reaching out to hold her... and finding his hands passing straight through her. "What?"_

_She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, I can't stay."_

_Tightness gripped his chest as her hand dropped from his face. "No! Take me with you! I want to be with you!"_

_"Someday, we will," she promised him, her eyes full of tenderness and hope. "But for now, our daughter needs you. She needs to know about her parents, and you must tell her."_

_His vision blurred and swam due to water. "I can't lose you again! Not after losing you once. Please...!"_

_She tilted her head slightly and smiled. "As long as you are with our daughter, I will always be with you. You gave me all of your love, and now you must give that love to our daughter." Against the white_ _backdrop, she slowly began to retreat into the distance, growing smaller and smaller. "Be well; I will a always love you, Erio."_

_"I love you, too, Caro; don't leave!" Erio cried, desperately reaching out with both arms and trying to run, but still she faded into the distance, the white background swallowing her up in it's rising brightness. "CARO!"_

"H-hey!" a female voice protested.

Erio blinked his eyes open, the wind rustling his hair, finding his arms around a female figure. "Caro?" He quickly pulled backed, and for a moment he saw her face and the wind gently playing with her hair. But then the image faded, and while the face mostly remained, the hair had changed from long and pink, to short and rustic red, quite similar to his own. However, the eyes were still the same shade of light blue.

Layla held up her hands, gently pushing him back a little, her cheeks tinged red. "L-look, just because I saved you, doesn't mean I'm looking for a father or anything. Strada just told Kerykeion that you were in trouble, and I'd hate to see you die. I..." She trailed off, noting the way he was looking at her. "What?"

He blinked. "Saved me?" Then he remembered his fight with Rai and glanced down at his stomach, now bandaged, but he still felt a slight burning pain in his gut. He also realized what he was riding on. "Fried? I thought you were back on Supools? How did you get here?"

Layla put a hand behind her head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, heh, about that, I'm not too sure. It just kinda happened. I heard a voice calling to me, a woman's voice, claiming that these summons were now mine, and before I knew it..." She threw up her hands in frustration. "Well, here we are."

"Summons?" Erio questioned, noting the plural. And that's when he glanced over to the side, noticing Voltaire flying close by, looking at him. As he stared, the big dragon merely nodded at him. [It couldn't be, could it? Was that why I saw-]

"Was that her name?" Layla inquired softly, interrupting his thoughts. "Caro, I mean. You were calling it out."

His gaze traveled back to her, but he was still troubled inwardly. "Yeah. Caro Ru Lusche Mondail. My wife, and your mother."

She nodded, still seeming a bit unsure. "Well, I wouldn't mind hearing about her after this. But I think we should kick some butt now. I 'm not entirely sure what's going on, but I feel like seeing what I can do!"

For some reason, he felt a slow smile force it's way onto his face, and he nodded firmly. "Yes, let's."

x~~*~~x

Blade clashed against blade as the pair met in midair, seemingly even matched as Cypha calmly inquired, "You don't like me very much, do you?"

"You killed a lot of people before we locked you up," Fate accused, joining the hilts of her blades together, then twirling her new double-bladed staff to knock Cypha's swords away, aiming to take her opponent's head with the blade on the other end, but Cypha backtracked quickly through the air to avoid it. "You shouldn't have been let out."

"But I am, and isn't this an interesting switch, Enforcer Fate Harlaown?" Cypha mused from a distance, seemingly in no hurry to reengage. "I used to be the criminal to the Bureau while you were fighting for it. And now you're the criminal while I'm working for the Bureau."

"I'm not a criminal," Fate shot back. "I didn't kill people like you did. I just want the fighting to end and for peace negotiations to begin."

"Perhaps not, but you stood by and gave your blessing as the Bureau started war after war, which resulted in many deaths," Cypha countered, then shrugged as if unconcerned. "You have just as much blood on your hands as I do. And, according to Hayate, since you are assisting the enemy leader, that makes you a criminal. She hasn't told me to leave you alone at all, while she was shouting in my ear earlier not to kill that other person." She threw up her hands while looking honestly exasperated. "And to think, the Bureau called us bad guys. Shouldn't you be on Hayate's side? I think that's why you hate me. I represent the hypocrisy you hold. I am what you have become; the depths to which you've sunk. You're looking into a mirror, Fate _Testarossa_."

Fate stared at her, and then darted back in, twirled her doubled-bladed staff rapidly against Cypha's twin swords, forcing the other woman to give ground against the furious assault. "I'm not like you!"

"But I'm the Bureau," Cypha tsk'ed, managing to hold off the powerful assault mainly because it lacked focus and skill, and deliver several cuts on Fate's arms and legs that made the other woman back off. "A soldier fighting, just like you, in order to maintain peace and security. Despite our incarceration, we still heard about what went on out here, the official news anyway. Interesting changes that took place over the years. The Bureau didn't just take away our freedom, but everyone else's as well. And to think, your side once tried to tell us that you were better."

"I'm..." Fate started to say, then realized why Cypha's words hurt so much; there was an element of truth to them. Her head lowered as she recalled all that she had done over the years. "No, I can't think like that anymore. No more denials, no more justifications." Her face came up to give the Huckbein swordswoman a firm and confident glare. "Yes, you are partly right; I was becoming like you, so slowly I almost didn't notice it. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I can begin to fix those. And you being out here represents one of those mistake that shouldn't have happened, either; however, that's one I can correct! Bardiche!"

"Barrier Jacket: Slipstream Form," her device announced, converting her outfit to the form-fitting single unitard, and then converted itself back to twin blades.

Cypha raised an eyebrow. "Only a single layer of protection? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter, since you'll die if you-"

"-get hit, I know," Fate finished for her. "I've heard it before. But you won't touch me." However, inwardly, she realized the risk she was taking. [Slipstream Form uses my magic to increase my speed, but Cypha will cancel it out when I get close enough. Which means I'll just have to use _that_.] She closed her eyes, calmed her breathing and concentrated, remembering a lesson from Kyoya long ago.

_For a swordsmen that has mastered this technique, everything before him drops to zero. The time interval, the distance, and all his fears._

"Let's test that confidence!" Cypha challenged, charging in.

Fate's eyes snapped open and she took off flying straight towards her opponent with all the speed she had cultivated over the years, both magical and non-magical. She could see it now with clarity, the stretching grin on Cypha's face that revealed her killing anticipation, the subtle change of her irises that announced the split-second where the brain had sent the attack signal to the body, and the tightening of muscles that indicated her two swords were about to be brought up to strike.

"Kodachi Nito Mikamiryuu!" she announced under breath in that fraction of time, then raised her voice as she blurred past. "Nigenteki Sen!"

The two adversaries paused moments after flashing past each other, then Fate canceled her slipstream mode and straightened, while Cypha's eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you..." Then she coughed up some blood as more spurted from several deep gashes around her body, and the tremor that motion induced was all it took for her arms to drop from her body, the rest of her body following shortly thereafter.

x~~*~~x

Isis had managed to make her way into the city, her destination fixed firmly in her mind. She knew exactly where the prison was that had housed both her and Runessa, and even though she was unable to join the prison rescue squad, that wouldn't deter her from making her own way there. And with the streets mostly clear, it was surprisingly easy-going. There were occasional soldiers or Enforcers that sought to engage her, but she dealt with them easily. But since the fighting had spread out all over town, actual skirmishes were fairly few and far between.

In short, it didn't take her long to reach her destination, not too surprised to see the prison riot in full swing as they sprawled out of the complex and clashed with quickly retreating Bureau guards and Enforcers on the city streets, but she paid them no heed. She scanned the crowds, occasionally calling Runessa's name while fighting her way past the chaos, her voice barely audible over the shouting and explosions that marred the conflict. But then she spotted Otto and Deed directing the inmates from the top of the outer wall, and quickly made her way to their side to ask them about Runessa.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't see her name on the prison roster," Otto confessed in response to the inquiry, firing off a spread of beams to hasten the guard's retreat as the inmates spilled into the city surrounding the base. "However, I only briefly glanced over it."

Isis felt her hopes drop and her worry increase. [If she isn't here, then where?] One horrible idea bubbled to the surface, but she shook her head, refusing to consider it. [No, she can't be dead! I won't lose another friend!]

Further thoughts, and the whole prison fight in general for that matter, was put on hold as an object streaked from the sky and landed in their midst, cratering the ground and kicking up a whole lot of dust. Isis shielded her face from the dirt and debris, and in the sudden quiet, stared along with everyone else at the bloody body; she almost didn't recognize it with all the injuries, and was even more surprised when it attempted to rise, despite not having arms. The figure eventually screeched in pain, and new bloody arms shot into place, but the effort had clearly taxed her.

That's when a blue-haired woman descended and pointed a blade at Cypha's neck. "It's over; you're returning to your cell."

The Huckbein woman glaring at her as if daring her to do it. "You'll have to kill me. You won't stop me otherwise." Fate's eyes narrowed, as if the woman was honestly considering it.

Isis clenched her fist, concluding that she should have realized earlier that if Arnage was out, the others had to be as well, yet still found herself a bit shocked to run into two of them. "I have another solution," she found herself declaring loudly, leaping down into the crater and cracking her knuckles while stalking up to the pair.

One right hook to the face and explanation later, Cypha seemed to go into shock, finding some confirmation at how her many other cuts and gashes weren't healing very fast. Even Fate was surprised, but further conversation was put on hold as they were addressed from above.

"Fate Harlaown," Otto called, causing the two non-shocked women to glance up, finding Otto and Deed floating on either side. "I suggest you surrender; you can't stop all of us."

Fate eyed the cyborg sisters. "I don't have time to explain, but I don't intend to-"

"So you are here, Fate!" a somewhat frantic Teana interrupted from a holographic window that opened nearby, revealing her partially holding someone wrapped in a blanket. "I need your help! Jail, Quattro and Due are planning something, and I can't get through to Hayate! Also, I found Subaru and she's alive, but her capsule was destroyed during the fight; she's dying!"

"Jail?" Fate questioned, frowning. "You're not making sense, Teana. Jail's brain is still locked up. And I thought Subaru died years ago."

"Not that Jail, but one Due gave birth to, another one!" the Homeworld Security director replied, her voice full of distressed urgency . "He's been working behind the scenes with Quattro and Due for some reason, and he had a number of people preserved in life-pods. But Subaru is still infected with that deadly strain of the Eclipse, and the pod was the only thing keeping her alive! I'm trying to prepare another pod for her, but she may not last long enough for me to tune one for her biology!"

Isis glanced at the bottle on her right wrist and clenched her fist, then her vision was drawn upwards along with everyone else as the large dimensional barrier suddenly shattered, revealing that the fight within had ended, one way or another.

x~~*~~x

"Cursed blades, form and pierce! Yersina dagger!"

Nanoha ducked and wove through the air, barely avoiding the waves of mini-blade projectiles that filled the sky and sought her out, rapidly relearning that Hayate rarely did anything small. The sky was filled with projectiles and they kept pecking away at her magic power, forcing her to burn magic flying and shielded. She couldn't keep this up forever.

Coming to a decision, she executed a Flash move ahead of the wave, then turned and pointed while calling out, "Blaster Two!"

"MG Shooter, Gatling Mode," Raging Heart responded, as the spell was unleashed, sending waves of of her own semi-guided shots to intercept Hayate's, filling the sky with hundreds of mini-explosions between the two mages.

The only bright note was that Hayate seemed content to merely wear Nanoha down, confident that her magic reserves were much larger. And Nanoha felt that conclusion might very well be correct, and thus she needed to end this while she still had enough magic power. She needed something that could weather Hayate's attacks, while being able to pierce those strong defensive barriers. [Maybe-]

She didn't get to finish her thought, as Hayate began another chant, adding a second spell to the first. "Brilliance of Heaven, let thy radiance condemn to eternal darkness. Crash, light of judgment! Doombringer!"

Something like a Divine Buster beam, but three times larger, erupted forth, heading straight for Nanoha, forcing her to up the ante. If she dodged, the dagger spell would overwhelm her, so she took another option. "Blaster Three!"

Two more blaster bits formed, and using every ounce of control she had, Nanoha had them each fire a Divine Buster to counter Hayate's second spell; but even then, they only slowed it down. Shifting Raging Heart entirely to her left and continuing to fend off Hayate's Yersina Dagger barrage, Nanoha threw up her right hand to form a Round Shield just in time to intercept the beam, straining her under the pressure of maintaining and controlling all her spells.

And then, suddenly, it was all clear, except for the binds that promptly ensnared her limbs, and the bright glow coming from above. Nanoha glanced up, noticing Hayate was gathering brilliant white magic above in a Starlight Breaker fashion at each of the three points to a huge vertical Belkan triangle. Realizing the implications, Nanoha quickly had her blaster bits go to work on her binds, but it was clear they wouldn't break before Hayate fired.

"I know all about your new spells and techniques from reading Fate's mind," Hayate informed her. "With the amount of expended magic, you might very well pierce my shields with a Moonlight Breaker, but I won't give you the chance. My Arondight bind is unbreakable, and will hold you long enough for me to finish this."

Nanoha took a deep breath, forcing her senses calm, then glanced back up. "I didn't show Fate everything I had. I thought I could avoid using this, but I suppose I have no choice. Raging Heart, Blaster Overdrive, Ignition."

Hayate's eyes as Nanoha and her blaster bits were encased together in a soft pink sphere, almost as if she was setting up a barrier jacket. And then the sphere cracked open, unraveling into three pairs of pink wings attached to Nanoha's back, while simultaneously revealing the transformed individual within. Her barrier jacket had not only been repaired, but had taken on a more stiff, metallic look, appearing much like plate armor rather than cloth. But the biggest surprise, were the blaster bits that had attached themselves to her; two on her backside pointing up over her shoulders, one on each ankle pointing forwards, and one on her right forearm. Raging Heart itself resembled an enlarged blaster bit itself, now attached to Nanoha's left.

When it was done, it looked more like Nanoha had just donned an armored power suit, with each blaster bit having its own cartridge magazine loaded.

But since the transformation had destroyed the binds, Hayate hurried up and released her spell before her opponent could act. "Holy Sword that pierces all defenses, strike and destroy! Excalibur!" Three enormous white beams exploded forth and sought out their target.

Nanoha didn't waste any time either. "Boosters, engage!"

A pink flame erupted from the rear of each blaster bit and Raging Heart, sending her streaking out of the way of the trio of huge blast, but Hayate kept the attack going, walking the beams across the ground and sky to catch her rapidly darting adversary. Nanoha's movement was almost erratic, and yet somehow she continually managed to stay just ahead of the spotlight like beams weaving across the sky. She was also firing in return, salvo after salvo of Divine Buster shots that missed to pinged off Hayate's shields.

"That won't save you!" Hayate yelled at her. "This variation of your Starlight Breaker keeps recycling spent magic, meaning I can keep it up near indefinitely!"

Inwardly, though, Nanoha was fighting for control; Blaster Overdrive gave her enhanced defenses and speed, but the armor was mainly for stabilization so she could manage all six boosters. Any slight move of her limbs sent her into a new direction, forcing to concentrate hard to keep from going out of control. She had hesitated to use this mode because of that, not having had quite enough time to master it, but she had no choice now. And she also realized that because of the large magic and life drain, she wouldn't be able to keep it up forever; she had to end this. She twirled between all three beams and leveled out while thrusting her left arm forward and heading straight for Hayate.

"Strike Blade," Raging Heart responded to her telepathic signals, opening its tip and forming a large, blazing pink sword almost three times as tall as Nanoha herself.

Hayate finally managed to finally converge all three streams of magic on her elusive adversary, but her moment of elation was short lived as Nanoha cut through them, diving down through the converged beam, the extended magical blade ahead of her splitting the magical energy. Hayate tried to pour even more power into it, but it was too late. The blade shattered the casting triangle and impacted the shields, and with all of Nanoha's boosters behind it and all of the blaster bits emptying their own magazine cartridges, paused for only a moment before piercing both Hexagon shields and the inner barrier as well as Hayate herself. The two womens' eyes met for the briefest of moments, then Nanoha's boosters cut out while she redirected and refocused not only her magic, but the magic-rich air around her as well.

"Starlight... Blaster!"

The eruption of magical energy from Raging Heart's tip engulfed the pink spear-like blade as well as Hayate's entire form.

Then it was over, Nanoha's Blaster Overdrive mode releasing and returning her barrier jacket to normal, the dimensional barrier dissipating while Hayate's unconscious body began to plummet to the ground. Despite her fatigue, Nanoha managed to catch the other women with both arms while letting Raging Heart float free. And despite the situation, she found herself smiling, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

_It's over._

She could hardly believe it, but with Hayate's defeat, the Bureau could now be restructured back to what it was. All the trials and tribulations she had been through, had finally seen her through to this day. There was more work to be done, but Nanoha felt confident that it could be handled.

Without warning, Nanoha suddenly doubled over and covered her mouth while coughing violently, her body undergoing spasms. She gripped Hayate tighter while the episode passed, then straightened back up to stare at the blood staining her finger-gloved hand, as well as her dress skirt, suddenly aware of her own mortality. Sein's words about the kind of clone she might be, came back to her, and Nanoha abruptly realized that Blaster Overdrive's cost might have been too much for her body to handle.

"Nanoha!" came Fate's call as the blue-haired woman flew up beside her, breaking her out of her thoughts, then she took note of the unconscious figure, and the blood, and became concerned.. "You defeated Hayate? Are you alright?"

Nanoha smiled weakly and nodded. "I'll be fine. And she will be, too, after awhile; I think I hit her a bit too hard so she might be out of it. Are you okay?"

Fate raised an eyebrow, but let it pass for now. "Cypha has been dealt with, but I'll tell you that later. Right now, I think we may have a bigger issue. According to Teana, there's a new clone of Jail running around, and he's planning something with Quattro and Due. I have a bad feeling about..."

She trailed off as her vision followed Nanoha's downward; the top of Clanagan's central spire was opening up, the four sides of the ceiling unfolded to reveal a large room underneath. The two women glanced at each other, then floated down to check it out.

"Carim!" Fate gasped as the pair landed, noting the unconscious figure bound to an angled slab in the middle of the room. "What is she doing here?"

"So glad you ladies could join us," came Jail's voice from the side as he stepped out from a shadow. "And right on time, too."

Before either Nanoha or Fate could respond, they were swiftly pulled to the floor by an unknown force, as if gravity had increased several times over. Even Raging Heart clattered to the ground beside her, seemingly powerless, and it felt like the more Nanoha tried to pull herself up, the greater the unknown power yanked her back down.

"Please try not to overly exert yourselves," Quattro nearly purred with mock concern. "That section of floor is designed to use the magic it absorbs to keep people such as yourselves pinned."

Jail rubbed his hands together. "But just think; you'll be able to bear witness to the greatest triumph in scientific history!" He chuckled to himself. "At least the history you currently know. When I go back in time, I'll rewrite history to suit myself; I'll create a civilization of science, thus ensuring this magical society is never born!" His eyes met Nanoha's, and his smile grew wider. "And you, my dear, are the key that will secure my eminent ascendancy."

Speechless, Nanoha could only stare at him with horrified eyes.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

And then you remembered you were reading Future Tense. Ho! This chapter brought to you by the Mai Otome soundtrack, particularly the song "Sei Otome no Inori." You can find it on youtube or something, if you like.

If you read this on AS, you'll notice a couple of scenes missing. They have been moved to the next chapter as a way to balance things (I felt the chapter was a bit too long). Of course, this means this fic will once again be one more chapter longer than I expected...

Speaking of scenes, I had this one written where Einhart hit a bunch of pressure points and then said, "I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain; you'll be dead in 30 seconds unless I release it." But I figured that was going a bit too far, heh.


	34. Behind the Curtain

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 34: Behind the Curtain**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Verossa!" Agito exclaimed as the door to her small cell door was opened. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, we were looking for Carim," Schach answered, watching the man's back as he freed the little unison device from her restrictive straps inside her cage. "A little searching of the database turned up this special detention facility underground, so we thought she might be here."

Agito rubbed her wrists. "Well, she was, but you're too late. Jail, Quattro, and Due came by and took her. They wouldn't tell me why, or where they were headed, either."

"Knowing my clone, he is counting on you finding him at the last moment," came an electronic voice from the next cell over.

"Who in the world...?" Schach questioned as the two rescuers glanced over into the cell on the far end, brows furrowing at the small glass capsule within.

"Meet the brain of the original Jail Scaglietti," Agito informed them, floating over. "He's been my cellmate for quite awhile now. Apparently, he has no recollection as to why he made the Nanoha clone. Or has that changed?"

"I'm sorry, but I apparently wiped my memory of that so Hayate wouldn't find it," he told her, his voice almost tinged with regret. "But will you do what you promised, now?"

"Agito, what are you..." Verossa started to say as the little demon unison device floated between the bars.

"Depends," she replied, cracking her knuckles. "We should just leave you like that, as payment for all the hell you created all those years ago."

"Look at me," the electronic voice responded after a moment, some emotion seeping through. "Have I not paid enough? Locked up for years, forced to do research for Hayate, and even having my body destroyed in a lab accident that I believe Quattro arranged. I see now that it was done on purpose, as only the death of my body would have triggered the clone rebirth protocol in Due. I had prepared her as a backup in case all other plans failed, but when she didn't contact me, I figured she was really dead. Apparently she was alive after all, and thus must be working for someone else, or herself. If I knew anymore, I would tell you, but all I can say is, whatever Due and my clone have planned, it won't be good for any of you. I suggest you find him; that's all I can say that would help. Agito, remember your promise."

"What did you promise him?" Schach questioned, curious.

She sighed, then floated back, raising her hands to gather her fire magic, her voice even if a bit heavy. "That if I had the opportunity, I'd end his life."

The two normal humans glanced back and forth between Agito and the the brain floating with wide eyes, in the jar as Jail replied, "I am sick of living this way, captive to whoever wants me, numb to all sensation. All I seek is death, to end this miserable existence, the final right of any living creature; the right to die. I can't do anything else, and there is no way for me to make any sort of amends. Although I don't know why, I have a strong feeling that when I cloned Nanoha, it was to somehow make up for what I had done. You placed your hope and trust into her once, and if that means anything, I suggest you do so again. And Agito, thank you."

Verossa and Schach averted their eyes and covered their heads just as Agito released her large fireball. Drifting out of the smoke in the aftermath of the explosion, she passed them by and headed for the door, but paused before leaving without looking back

"Come on, you two, we have to stop the other Jail," she stated evenly, her voice thick with something, her tiny hands clenching at her sides. "I'll tell you the things Jail told me during our stay together, about how long stuff has been manipulated behind the scenes for a long time. Probably for far longer than we ever thought."

x~~*~~x

It was all she could do to just lift her head to glare at the duo casually smiling in her direction, and out of the corner of her right eye, Nanoha could see Fate was in a similar predicament. She couldn't even gather any magic, as it was sucked out of her every time she tried. Hayate was on her back to Nanoha's left, still mercifully unconscious, so there was no help in that direction. Her hair was still white, indicating Rein was still inside, but for some reason the unison hadn't been canceled due to unconsciousness.

"What are you up to, Jail?" Fate hissed out as Quattro casually walked over to them, seemingly unaffected by whatever was holding the two women down.

"Let's make sure these are out of the way first, shall we?" the #4 cyborg stated, leaning down to pick up the red jewel and a golden triangle, since the devices had reverted to their normal form. Then she noted Fate's questioning glance, and smiled. "Oh, this particular trap only works on those with unshielded linker cores. Mine is specially shielded."

The doctor feigned mock surprise and answered Fate as the Quattro walked back and placed the two devices in a small bin. "Surely your comrade has explained to you all about time travel, has she not?"

Fate briefly glanced at Nanoha, while the latter asked, "How do you know about that?"

He held his hand up and gestured. "Someone you know was kind enough to explain all about it to me, after a source tipped me off that he was looking into it. I do like to keep tabs on all the smartest people around, and I must say, his line of research intrigued me. I had almost given up hope when he disappeared, but I'm thankful you two found him for me."

If she thought there was nothing left that could surprise her, then she would have been wrong, as Due stepped into the limelight and not quite gently dropped a body onto the floor. "Yuuno! What did you do to him?"

"Oh, our conversations left him a bit put out, but he'll be fine... possibly," Jail replied, and now Nanoha could see the slight rise and fall of her old friend's chest, indicating that he was still breathing. "You should be able to tend to him once I'm gone, however. But he insisted on seeing the results of his theories, and as a fellow scientist, I couldn't refuse him."

"You still haven't explained what you're planning, nor why you'd need Nanoha," Fate repeated. "And I just know you're eager to tell us all about it. It can't be as simple as just going back in time. And besides, if you did, everything would be different now, and it's not. Nothing can possibly come of this!"

He shrugged. "Time travel is interesting that way, isn't it? But whose to say I didn't? Can you think of a period in time long ago, one of high technology, that was considerably more advanced than we are today?"

Fate didn't need to think long, and her mouth went dry as she whispered, "Al Hazard... you couldn't have gone back to then, because if you had, you wouldn't have let it be destroyed!"

"Maybe I let it be destroyed, or maybe going back in time merely creates another timeline," he suggested, shrugging again as if unconcerned. "I believe that's what dear Yuuno here was quite eager to find out."

Nanoha shook her head, then nodded towards the angled table in the middle of the room. "Then why is Carim here like that? What have you done to her?"

"Oh, so you mean your dear Yuuno here never told you?" Jail questioned, clearly intrigued, a white grin slowly growing on his face. "I am surprised. You see, in order for the time portal to open, Carim Gracia has to die."

x~~*~~x

Even with her Saint's Armor, Deville was, almost literally, a tough nut to crack. At least her limbs no longer went partially numb every time she attempted to hit him, but the fight had begun to languish in standstill, with each combatant's advantages nearly canceling each other out.

The two heavily-protected fighters clashed against each other at extremely high speeds again and again, the shock waves of contact creating miniature sonic booms that shook the ground below. Despite his size and armor, Deville was making good use of quick short-range teleports, but Vivio was no slowpoke either and managed to keep up with him; and thus to the untrained eye they seemed to pop in and out of existence while exchanging a series of high speed attacks. And despite her power, Vivio was well aware she was under both a time limit before Sacred Heart burned out.

[I need to hit him with something strong enough to break through that armor,] Vivio noted as the two met again in a series of powerful strikes and counters, and then parted to size each other up. Vivio was panting slightly, and although there were a few more fractures in the armor, Deville seemed no worse for the wear.

The armored Huckbein came at her again he swung his ax straight down on her. Vivio grabbed it out of habit as she had been doing over and over again, swinging out with a kick, But Deville suddenly vanished. She realized too late that he had feinted her by letting go of the weapon, and the next thing she felt was something hard hit the back of her neck and send her streaking headfirst a pair of rock formations.

Perhaps it was the impacts on her noggin, or perhaps it was her view of heading straight for the ground, but an idea suddenly flashed through her mind as she came out of her abrupt dive after crashing through two rock formations. Recovering control and heading straight up, Vivio finally decided on something big enough to hit Deville with.

The planet itself.

[This is going to be a little tricky, though,] she realized, continuing to head upwards as Deville angled to meet her, a basic truth from science lessons providing an answer. [Everything will break if hit hard enough.]

They met again in a series of fast attacks, rebounding off each other several times before coming in for a round of punches, kicks and ax swings. Vivio stuck with it, though, despite the fact that the ax had begun to cut into her Saint's Armor, leaving cuts and gashes; she couldn't afford to back off now.

She risked a glance downwards, noticing the scattered clouds getting smaller and smaller beneath her. [More... I need more altitude!] When she began to have trouble breathing, she wondered if she was high enough.

"It won't work," Deville's voice echoed from under his mask. "My body can accommodate a thinner atmosphere, more than a normal human, and also regulate my functions to prevent decompression. Despite your impressive powers, the advantage up here is mine. Although it was an interesting idea."

Vivio grinned through her panting, trying to control her breathing. "We'll see... about that." Her Saint's Armor provided a similar protection from decompression, but oxygen was a bigger concern. Taking a bigger risk, she took in as much oxygen as she could while engaging him once more... and went higher, as fast as she could.

In her youth, Vivio had been the type to want to do everything and experience everything. Part of it was curiosity, and part of it was just seeing what she was capable of. Fortunately, she had tutors in the form of the Infinity Librarian and her mamas, as well as the prestigious Saint Church academy teachers. But one lesser used skill she had practices over the years, was holding her breath, managing to get up to almost five minutes.

When two and a half minutes had passed, Vivio realized it would have to be enough, and moved in to quickly disarm him. It was a trick she had used before, but Deville usually just called it back; this time, however, she wasn't going to give him the opportunity. Utilizing another set of skills she had picked up, she grappled with him directly, applying wrestling moves to scale around his body, locking her legs around his neck from the front while folding his own legs onto her shoulders and using her arms to hold them there. Before he could question what she was planning, Vivio inverted him head first, and then sent both of them plummeting straight down.

He struggled as they descended rapidly, punching where he could, but he lacked leverage and thus power. She focused on pouring every ounce of magic-enhanced strength into holding him firm, countering his attempts to bring his own flight magic to bear or teleport free with her own magic; he couldn't engage his de-linking to thwart her interference, since his own magic was needed to teleport. And all this despite her lungs beginning to burn as their speed increased, along with her legs which were also beginning to heat up from the speed of descent.

She couldn't slam the planet into him, but she could slam him into the planet.

"[Are you mad?]" Deville suddenly sent telepathically, the tone laced with incredulity and urgency. "[You'll kill us both!]"

She mostly ignored him, but a random thought flitted through her mind: [It's not the fall that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end.] She debated letting go shortly before impact, but decided she couldn't take the risk, lest he finally teleport away; she had to see this through to the end.

And as she reached her limit, the pair finally hit the ground, and to say there was a crater, would have been an understatement. The impact sent dirt and debris flying for kilometers, kicking up tornado strength winds that ripped up any trees in the sparse, wasteland area. Hitting the ground had also finally dislodged Vivio's grip, sending her tumbling away from the crater's ground zero, her limbs failing around and feeling like uncontrollable rubber, before coming to a stop some distance away.

She wasn't sure if she blacked out, but as she regained some feeling and awareness and took a desperate breath of fresh air, she struggled to her feet, preparing to finish the job if that didn't do it. Still, she wasn't quite sure what she could do to top that, especially considering she had used up nearly all her magic power. But as she managed to get up onto all fours while panting heavily, she found her opponent where she left him, buried in his body-shaped hole at the bottom of the crater. His armor was completely gone, and his sightless eyes stared upwards, his body unmoving.

Vivio finally heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed, figuring she could spare at least a few moments to recover. [I hope mom is doing good at least...]

x~~*~~x

"The moons are almost in position, doctor," Quattro announced playing with some holographic controls.

Steel support beams emerged from the sides of the room and converged at the top, forming a giant magnifying lens for a purpose Nanoha could only guess at. She began to get a vague idea as the moon's light was focused onto a point not far away from the steel slab upon which a still-unconscious Carim rested.

She was also beginning to dread getting an answer to what was going on, but she asked anyway. "What do you mean, Carim's death? How does her dying have anything to do with this?"

"I'd explain, but it appears our mutual friend here is beginning to wake, so why don't we ask him?" Jail suggested, nodding to Due to who helped pick Yuuno up and prop him up against the nearby wall.

The elderly librarian's eyes blinked open, then widened as he took in the scene. "Nanoha?"

"Yuuno-kun, are you alright?" she asked, concerned when he immediately grimaced and covered his stomach.

He managed a nod, his expression unreadable. "I'll... be fine."

"Now why don't you explain to our guests here, exactly why Carim has to die?" Jail decreed, clearly savoring the moment like it was a finely-aged wine.

Yuuno glared at him, then his eyes briefly met Nanoha's before they dropped, giving the impression that guilt warred within. "Carim... confided in only me, that she saw her death in one of her visions. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but this was expected. She knew she'd be at the focal point here, and it's the interaction of the moon's magic, focused onto her linker core that will begin the process. She didn't want anyone else to know, because they'd try to stop her. It's something that she knew she wouldn't survive, but she also felt that one couldn't escape fate."

As he went silent, Nanoha stared at him, and then at the unconscious woman tied to the table, the light beam slowly making it's way over to her,. She was finding it difficult to wrap her mind around this new information; Carim planned to commit suicide? This was how the time travel was supposed to work, if Nanoha were to attempt it? And Yuuno knew this all along but didn't tell her?

"Why do you need Nanoha, anyway?" Fate questioned, eyes narrowing and she tactfully changed the topic. "You never answered that part."

Jail slapped his head. "Oh! Silly me, I almost forgot. Well, It's not that I needed her, exactly..." He trailed off mysteriously, reaching one hand into his lab coat and pulling out a small blue jewel, while plucking Nanoha's device from the small nearby bin with the other, and then holding them next to each other. "Luciferion, execute!"

"Raging Heart!" Nanoha exclaimed alarmingly, as small electric bolts arced between the two near identical devices while Jail pushed them together. "Stop it!"

"M-masteeeer..." Raging Heart's distorted voice echoed, climbing and dropping in pitch. "It's okaaaay... Don't min... min... miiiind..."

Eventually the two fused, but the jewel that remained was completely blue.

x~~*~~x

Claws grazed her skin, leaving crimson welts, but Einhart ignored the and delivered a strong right punch to Fortis's stomach, then turned it into a leaping uppercut that snapped his chin up. As he stumbled back and she landed from her short twirling jump, she continued to turn, putting everything into a powerful spin kick that smacked her opponent's left side and sent him flying sideways and headfirst through several trees to land somewhere in the underbrush.

She paused, panting, and tenderly felt the red streaks along her own left side, wincing as she touched the wounds. Despite her earlier boast, she still did have a problem; Fortis seemed to recover quite well from almost everything she did, and so she could win every confrontation, but still be worn down and thus lose the war. Einhart's relic increased the speed of her muscle memory and thus allowed her to react instantaneously to the changing fight; however her adversary had resorted to more basic Strike Arts in order to rely more on his own muscle memory, so he did occasionally get hits in.

[Claus, what would you do in a situation like this?] she briefly wondered, then mentally slapped her cheeks. [Focus. Everything I've learned from every master I've studied under, has told me that every technique has a weakness; there is no perfect art. No one is invincible. I need to keep calm and find the flaw in his abilities. I still have a few tricks to try.]

She assumed a ready stance, having calculated that he should be emerging by now, but he didn't. For a brief moment, she wondered if she really had put him down with that, and then he came flying out of the trees at incredible speeds, right claw extended, body almost horizontal to the ground. Against a lesser opponent, it would have been deadly, but Einhart was already standing sideways and thus leaned back slightly to grab the arms as the claw whisked by her face, millimeters from her nose. She jerked her knee up into his stomach and then released his arm to bring both her hands together in a double-fisted hammer blow to his upper back, smashing him face first into the ground. But she wasn't finished, raising her right leg almost vertically into the air before dropping the heel into the back of his neck in a powerful splits ax kick that resulted a horrible cracking sound.

She instantly cursed herself, realizing her mistake; against a normal human, that would have been a finisher, but this was no normal human she was facing. The blaring sirens from her instincts barely saved her, quickly back-flipping away as his right arm lashed out, scoring another scrape up her left thigh and waist; any slower, and he would have opened up her stomach. Disturbed, she watched him get back up, his head temporarily at an angle no normal human could have survived, and yet he calmly reached up, small magic circles glowing around his hands, and set his neck back properly.

"Still thinking you have a chance?" he inquired in that polite manner that Einhart was beginning to find more annoying than his recovery powers. "I'll grant that you're good, and no normal human would have had a chance. But you should know by now that I'm not normal, so I'd kindly ask that you surrender and let me finish my job. I'll even make a rare exception not to kill, and thus leave you alive. As a Huckbein, the job always comes first."

She glared at him, but something niggled in the back of her head as she studied the way he walked slowly towards her; and finally she felt she had seen through his facade by a slight tick on his face when his left food came down. "Sorry, but no deal. Not when I'm about to defeat you."

Fortis shook his head, seemingly more sad that she was continuing than anything else. "You're welcome to-"

The Kaiser Arts master didn't let him finish, charging towards him with her right fist raised. He took a stance and slashed out with his claws as she came close, but only cut hair as she did the splits once more and thrust out her right fist into his left side. She allowed a small grin to form on her face as Fortis doubled over, finding her guess correct; she hadn't hit him that hard, proving that he hadn't really healed the bruise from earlier.

She planted her hands on the ground and flipped both feet up, doing a backwards cartwheel kick that snapped his head back up. While he tried to recover, she cupped her hands together and gathered her magic, and then thrust them forward.

"Kaiser Arts, Tornado Fang!"

Magic was used to increase her strength and speed for this attack, but that was all; the rapid thrusting of her hands slashed away at his body with wind pressure alone, shredding his clothes and revealing the odd bruises and cuts along his legs and body that he didn't heal. While he had managed to use his now-bare arms to cover his face, that left him open for her to swing and target his bruises with strategically-placed punches. When he attempted to counterattack, slowed due to the pain she had inflicted, she simply grabbed his wrists and flowed around it, bending his arms while delivering one swift kick to his gut, and then finally twisting and delivering another with her opposite leg to slam him face first into the ground.

"Your regeneration is good, but it still takes magic to do," she told him, while casually bending his arms back and burying the heel of her right foot into his upper back. "It seems highly effective because your body isn't normal, and thus you can regenerate limbs, but everything has a limit. Thanks to a certain precious friend of mine who likes to read and study everything, I know a little about Eclipse-infected people. If your regeneration goes out of control, you turn into a lump of flesh, which is why you have to be careful about using it. What would happen if I kept breaking your limbs, forcing it into action over and over?"

He grunted in pain as she twisted his wrists far enough back that something snapped, her face an expressionless mask. She let his arms back down slightly, feeling the movement under his skin as the bone and torn muscle reconnected, then bent his elbows in a direction they weren't supposed to go. His scream was more audible this time, but due to the way she had him, he had no leverage to dislodge her. She dug her heel into his spine more for emphasis.

"You said that you were the worst opponent I could face, but you had it backwards," She informed him casually, dislocating his arms while applying more pressure to the back of his neck. "Vivio would have been much too kindhearted to do this; she is still much too straightforward. I, on the other hand, am willing to do whatever it takes to win, so I am the worst opponent you could have faced. How long do you think it will take before your regeneration goes out of control?" She increased pressure on the back of his neck.

"Okay!" he finally grunted through pained teeth. "You've made your point! I know enough to know when I'm beat." Fortis closed his eyes and heaved out a sigh, capitulating. "I surrender."

x~~*~~x

Jail made a grandiose effort at proudly displaying the blue jewel by lifting it up. "There we go. Actually traveling in time would be a bit dangerous, you see, and Shari informed us all about how she programmed in the proper safety protocols into your device. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to build us one, and I must admit, it would have taken too long even with my genius. Still, having the specs of your device, I simply created a shell program to overwrite the operating system. Now that capability is at my disposal and I can go back as far as I want in safety!"

Despite the increased gravity holding her down, Nanoha's hands clenched tightly, her whole body shaking. Raging Heart had been there for her from the moment she first began to use magic, and had even accepted her as a master, even though she was just a clone of the original. Losing such a precious friend hit her in more ways than one. It was a device the original Nanoha took care of until her death, and her clone had just watched it get taken away and corrupted.

"I'll say one thing for that council; they had the right idea," Jail note casually, leaning back and watching the light beam slowly travel up the table while tossing the jewel up and catching it repeatedly. "It is better to rule from behind the scenes, then do so through force; it made it much easier to set all this up. That was my predecessor's major error. His only redeeming feature was arranging for Due to be the ultimate fail-safe. If I couldn't force the kind of Bureau I wanted from the outside, I could slowly change it from the inside."

"It was quite easy to do, too, since everyone believed I was dead," Due added, speaking for the first time, using a casual tone that suggested her horrors were no big deal. "A death here, a tragedy there, a bit of fear-mongering and protest organizing, and you have all the necessary materials in creating a public panic and ensuring that the leaders are motivated enough to take actions that might not have under normal circumstances. Even the most well-meaning individual can be properly conditioned to betray their own principles."

Quattro couldn't help twirling a few times as she tapped away on her virtual keyboards, giggling as she danced. "And it's all thanks to our little queen of darkness here, who cooperated so graciously." She paused, tossing a delightful grin towards the now blue-haired woman. "And you, too, dear Fate. Always following orders, never questioning what needed to be done, despite it costing you your mother, your brother, your familiar, and the rest of your family. How does it feel to have been played all this time? How does it feel to be a failure? Perhaps you should change your name." She reached up and made an L symbol with her fingers on her forehead. "Something that starts with an 'L' for LOSER!"

"L?" said blue-haired woman questioned, staring in at Quattro, an odd note in her tone. "Loser?"

"Fate-chan," Nanoha whispered, concerned as the other woman's head dropped, noting the tremble in Fate's arms. She immediately glared back up at Quattro and the doctor. "You won't win this. I'll stop you-"

"And then what?" Quattro taunted, then slapped her hands on her cheeks in mock worry. "Oh no, please don't lock us up again! Because that worked so well the first time!" She giggled again while lowering her hands, then shrugged. "You'd have to kill us, and you can't do that, since you're too much of a goody-goody. For progress to be made, people have to die, and let's face it; you just aren't qualified to be in charge, since you can't make the harsh steps necessary. Although our little Queen of Darkness over there seemingly has it in her, and without her help, none of this would have been possible. It certainly didn't take too much to set her against her friends and allies, at any rate. Kill off a couple of family members, blow up a peace conference..."

As she trailed off, Nanoha heard a cross between a gasp and a sniffle beside her, turning to see that Hayate's eyes were now open, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure how much the Bureau's Supreme Commander had heard or what was going through her mind, but Hayate's eyes appeared almost unseeing as she stared at the dark night sky above.

"They warned me..." she mumbled in a near whisper, tears in her eyes while her voice . "And I betrayed them. But we had to do it! Chrono warned me, back then, that I wanted to protect so many things and became frantic to do so and could end up overdoing it... but they didn't know, none of them knew! The dangers we faced, so we had to, and yet... my feelings became too strong... there was no choice... but we betrayed them!" She grabbed her head, squeezing her eyes shut as if to shut out everything. "We don't understand... Rein? Rein! Where are you?"

"Hayate, keep it together!" Fate barked, watching the light beam trail over Carim's body which began to twitch uncontrollably. "It wasn't our fault! You heard them; they set everything up. We may have done what we have done, but that doesn't mean we can't choose a different action now. They played us, but we can finish the game!"

Nanoha held her breath as Hayate glanced in their direction, a multitude of emotions reflected in the wavering light blue eyes that were a result of the unison. There was fear, uncertainty, confusion in varying amounts, but also a small amount of... hope?

"We need you Hayate-chan," Nanoha echoed Fate's sentiment. "No matter what we've been through, no matter what you've done, we're still friends. Let's finish this, together. This is your command center; you must know of how to get out of this trap!"

The Supreme Commander's eyes rapidly glanced back and forth, as if trying to realize her surroundings. "Trap. Yes. Designed to suck magic, but the capacitors have a limit, although it is rather high."

"Then let's overload them," Fate suggested, a strange eager and amused look in he eyes.

Nanoha's gaze switched between Fate on her right and Hayate on her left, nodding in agreement, then as one, all three opening up their magic output, pouring it into the machine. The capacitors below were rated strong enough to render a dozen normal mages helpless, but the three Aces now trapped by it were hardly normal; they were perhaps the three strongest mages on the planet. Still, Nanoha realized that Blaster Overdrive had taken a lot out of her, but she gave it her all nonetheless; the very history and future of this world depended upon it.

Quattro's eyes flicked over to a screen listing some data. "Interesting. They're outputting magic at an increased level. Are they trying to overload it? It's barely up to 45% now. Do you really think it wise to keep them alive, doctor? I can understand wanting them around to view our triumph, but..."

Jail walked over to glance at her holographic screens as the #4 cyborg trailed off. "Even for three former Aces, that would be quite impossible, and we only have a few minutes to the event. According to my calculations of their strength, there is no way they can... can't be... 65% and climbing?" He sighed. "Due, stop them. I'd still like them alive to watch, but you can maim them sufficiently to put a stop this nonsense."

The #2 cyborg nodded, bringing out her claws while beginning to walk towards the three trapped women. However, she didn't get very far since Yuuno suddenly lunged and wrapped his arms around her legs, squeezing them together and dropping her to all fours. Unfortunately, the interruption didn't last long.

"You little runt!" Due cursed, kicking out with her powerful cyborg limbs and sending the hapless man slamming into a wall, collapsing to the floor after.

"Yuuno!" Nanoha called worriedly called out, while Due regained her feet, realizing that while he had bought them some time, it still might not be enough. [We need more somehow. But where can I get... ]

Her thoughts trailed off, her eyes widening, and then she snapped them shut and began to visualize as Due closed in and raised her claw in preparation to strike.

x~~*~~x

In moments, Nanoha found herself drifting in front of a roiling black haze. Having been here once before, she found it easy enough to return to, now that Agito had shown her the way. Without hesitation, she reached in and pulled the clouds apart, dissipating them.

"Well, well, look who-urk!" her duplicate tried to say, but was prevented by the hand tightly gripping her neck.

"We have a situation, and I'm taking your power," Nanoha explained to her mirror image calmly, her eyes deathly seriously. "I need everything I have right now. You'll agree, because otherwise, we're both dead."

The double gurgled a bit, but nodded with a slight smile. "You know... what this means..."

Nanoha met the eyes evenly, fully aware. "No more holding back, no matter what the cost."

x~~*~~x

The claw came down, but was stopped before it could strike. "What the?" Due tugged, but it wouldn't come free. "Let go, Nanoha."

Nanoha tightened her grip on Due's wrist, then looked up to meet the cyborg's eyes, while increasing her magic flow into the machine as her barrier jacket turned from white to black. "Nanoha? You must be mistaken. I'm Seikou, the Starlight Destroyer. Or hadn't you heard?"

"87%!" Quattro announced in a worried tone. "What are you doing, Due, stop them!"

The second claw came down, but Nanoha grabbed that wrist, too, rising to one knee. With a surge of strength, she tossed the cyborg back as the vibration shook the floor, and suddenly her magic felt free once more. The enhanced gravity was still on, but she fired straight down along with Fate, destroying machinery beneath the floor and setting themselves free. As the dust settled, three women unsteadily rose to their feet, like zombies from the grave.

Fate reached into her uniform and pulled out a blue triangle, activating Vulnificus directly into Haken Form. "L for loser, is what you called me, Quattro? However, the game hasn't finished yet, so let's play!" She raised her hand, balls of lightning magic forming. "Alright, let's see what you can do."

"Lightning Blade Pierce," the new device announced while Fate lunged for Quattro, firing a dozen Photon Lancer-like bolts that tore up the area where the #4 cyborg was just standing.

Quattro promptly vanished before the shots hit, creating several clones of Jail, Due, and herself. Fate simply bathed the likely area the invisible cyborg would have run to in a hail of fire, causing several Quattros to pop into existence, tumbling to the floor simultaneously with the exact same wounded leg and shredded tan cloak.

Fate reared back with her weapon while her device announced, "Light Wing Slash," and then swung, setting off a spinning Arc Saber-like projectile that phased through half a dozen Quattro's, before the real one leapt out of the way. Fate smiled grimly, and advanced on her prey.

Meanwhile, Nanoha lunged for the Jail clones, firing shots from her fingertips, trying to find the real one. "Give me back Raging Heart!"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," all the Jail's answered calmly, raising two red-clawed hands and gesturing, causing a multitude of red energy whips to strike out of the floor and nearby walls and snap at her.

Not all of them were real, she discovered, since Quattro was merely duplicating everything. Still, enough snagged her legs or whipped at her back and arms, sending burning sensations spreading through her body and impeding her movement. She stumbled, partly due to the pain and partly due to dizziness, realizing that despite her channeling her full power, she was still weakened from mana expenditure. Jail kept moving, running around her in circles so as to throw off her aim, but she let loose a barrage of shots and must have struck the real one, because all the doctor images suddenly went tumbling to the ground, a dozen blue jewels bouncing away from them.

And then all the extra images suddenly vanished allowing her to approach the real one, but any followup was quickly forestalled, however, due to twin screams; one from Carim on the table... and one from Hayate in the corner.

Nanoha turned, taking in the twin sites of the focused moonlight beam traveling up along Carim's leg, which was somehow causing the women to twist in agonizing pain. But the stranger sight was Hayate in the corner, a sheer look of horror on her face as she attempted to feebly retreat while Due advanced on her. Almost babbling incoherently, Hayate had dropped to her feet, but Nanoha was unable to see what Due had changed herself into that had so completely terrified the Master of the Wolkenritter.

"Nanoha, get Carim!" Fate called out, sending Quattro flying with a Haken slash that gashed her opponent's arm, unrelenting in her assault to keep the cyborg from reengaging her IS. "We have to stop Jail's plan!"

The short-haired brunette mage reluctantly heeded that rationale, firing shots to free herself from the red chords binding her ankles, and then taking off towards the angled table after sweeping around to pick up the blue jewel. However, something struck her with incredible force before she could reach the convulsing woman on the table, sending her tumbling end over end to slam into a far wall. Nanoha recovered just enough to witness Fate end up cratered in the opposite wall, realizing that both of them had just been attacked by the newcomer calmly entering the room.

"Well, well, I let you handle things, and you nearly ruin everything, Jail," Mariel stated in a disappointed tone, lowering her slightly smoking hand and placing it in a pocket on the front of her white frock.

All activity in the room ceased, all eyes on the scientist while she walked purposefully to the middle of the room, stopping by the angled table. Carim had ceased screaming, but her back was arching, pulling against the binds holding her wrists and ankles, as the moonbeam struck her upper chest, revealing her linker core.

Mariel smiled. "You've done enough. I'll have to take over now, since the real show is about to begin."

x~~*~~x

"Why isn't it working?" Teana demanded to know from where she knelt on the floor as Subaru convulsed in her arms. "You said you could cure her!"

"I-I don't know!" Isis stuttered, almost as distraught as the woman across from her. She had arrived not too long ago, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe Teana's desperate pleas to save someone infected with the eclipse, stirred up Isis's own long-forgotten feelings, and thus she didn't want anyone else going through it. At any rate, she was glad she did, as it turned out that Runessa had also been in lifepod-storage in this lab. "This eclipse variation is different from the ones I studied! It might be because her case is so advanced."

"T-Tea?" the faint voice spoke, the tone disturbing the orange-haired gun mage almost as much as Subaru's near-sightless eyes. "Hard to see... cold..."

Teana grabbed her old friend's wavering hand, placing it against her cheek. "I'm still here. It's okay, it's going to be okay. Nove, I need that pod!"

"Were working as fast as we can, but they've all sustained damage!" the #9 cyborg shot back from where she and Wendi were fiddling with the pod they had removed Runessa from, the former occupant currently unconscious, blanket-wrapped, and recovering in a nearby. "We're not technicians!"

"Your voice... sounds different," came the soft, pained comment from the blue-haired cyborg. "Do you have... a cold? Are you taking care... of yourself properly? I-" Her words were cut off as she broke out into more convulsions, and Teana had to work hard to hold her tight.

Her head came up, fixing Isis with a pleading glare. "Do something!"

"I-I don't know!" the other woman admitted in an exasperated tone. "I need time to study it!"

"She doesn't have time!" Teana protested angrily, tears in her eyes.

Subaru stopped shaking again, but her body was so cold already, despite the blankets that had been wrapped around her. "Tea? I-I'm sorry..."

Her hand dropped to the ground.

"Subaru?" Teana questioned, disbelievingly. "Stop fooling around, Subaru. We'll get you better and then you can go back to harassing me like we used to! ...Subaru!" She gripped the body tighter, burying her head in her friend's chest.

A hand was placed on her shoulder. "Teana..." Wendi started to say, but her words died on her lips.

And then Teana placed the body on the floor, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a blue crystal, placing Mach Calibur into Subaru's hand and closing her fingers around it. "You two watch her and our sisters."

Nove glanced at Cinque, Dieci, and Ginga, still unconscious and currently bound, in case they were still brainwashed; at least they had made it. "What are you going to do?"

Teana stood while slamming in a fresh cartridge into her gun. "I'm going to end this."

x~~*~~x

Seething in pain, Jail managed to pull himself upright, limping over to the female scientist. "This is a bit unexpected; I thought you weren't coming."

The female scientist smiled pleasantly. "I didn't say I wouldn't. I just needed you as a distraction, and you played that part well. But your part is over."

Jail stared at her, then laughed. "I do appreciate your work as a fellow scientist, but I'm not sure you understand-"

He didn't get to finish; Mariel raised her hand and seized his neck, and in the next few moments, Jail 's body was racked with violent spasms before she eventually released him to collapse on the floor in a non-moving heap. "Perhaps you didn't hear me, but I said that your part was over."

Nanoha shook her head; when did Mariel get such powers? The scientist wasn't a mage, last she knew. "What are you doing here? Why were you working with Jail?"

The woman fixed Nanoha with a delightful and humorous look, but there was a surprising amount of venom barely contained behind those eyes as well. "Working with him? Oh no, he was working for me, although he didn't quite realize it. To him, I was just a scientist providing him with data and tools. But I needed someone to draw attention from my own plans to go back in time."

"Why?" Nanoha questioned, unsteadily regaining her feet, still a bit shaken over what had just happened to Jail, and taking note of the way Due came to stand beside Marial. "I understand you were the one who created those life-extension machines that suck the life out of people and transfer it to others, and now you're behind this?" There was a piece missing from this puzzle, that she couldn't quite nail down.

"I can understand how this might be of some shock to you," Mariel commented off-hand, then the edges of her lips turned upwards slightly, as if she was savoring each moment. When she spoke next, the tone of her voice dropped with every word. "Don't you remember me, Nanoha? When I killed you in revenge for how you interfered with my plans once before, I talked just... like... this."

Nanoha felt her heart pump once, heavily, while taking a short, shaky step back, the low husky tone echoing in her ears; the same voice that had haunted her nightmares. "You... couldn't be..." A gasp to her right drew her attention, revealing that Hayate had her hands over her ears, seemingly even more terrified than Nanoha was.

Fate had finally recovered enough to pull herself from the wall, but was currently frozen in place while staring at the woman in equal surprise. "_You_ were the one who killed Nanoha?" Then something else seemed to trigger in her mind, her eyes becoming even more fearful. "Wait, that voice... you couldn't be... it's impossible..."

"I'm surprised you're asking me that, since you, of all people, shouldn't have forgotten my voice," Mariel replied, still using that husky tone, then glanced down at herself. "Then again, I do still look like this, so why don't I fix that?"

To the shock of all present, Mariel's form changed, growing in height slightly, the white scientist's frock outfit replaced by a grand black robe; one that both Nanoha and Fate had seen her wear before. When it was done, there was no longer any doubt as to who stood before them.

Nanoha's own eyes narrowed, as suddenly everything made sense. "You..."

"Mother..." Fate whispered, eyes wide, swallowing.

"Now do you understand?" Precia Testarossa taunted, spreading her arms wide in front of a convulsing Carim, the Saint Church leader's linker core growing larger and larger as it began floating above her body. "It was I who went back in time and saved myself, giving me all the information I needed to set this up. I played everyone, you, the Bureau, and even Jail, all for this one moment.

She turned and fixed Nanoha with a gleeful, triumphant expression. "Don't you see? This means I've already won... and thus you've already lost!"

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Oh hey, didn't see that coming, did we?^^ Hayate's babbling words when she awakes harken back to a conversation that she had with Chrono and Carim at the end of StrikerS. I've always wondered just how far Hayate might go if she allowed her feelings to get too strong in that regard...

I swear, I continually underestimate how many chapters this thing will take, or how long it will take me to write them. I had planned on the next chapter being the last, but it looks like it will take two more. Unless I trim and modify the ending, which is still possible. Despite what I've said before, not even I know how this will all turn out... wait, that makes it sound like I don't have a plan, doesn't it? x_x


	35. Forever In A Day

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 35: Forever in a Day**

Xx~~*~~xX

"If you wish, I will protect you from anyone or anything in this entire world. Not because I'm your daughter. But because... you're _my_ mother."

Precia stared at the thing that resembled her daughter. [Why would that tool say such things? After all I've done, and what I've told her?] For a moment, she stared at the proffered hand, the offer having some veneer of temptation.

But only for a moment.

"I'm not interested," Precia finally stated, filling her voice with disgust, as it would mean giving up on something too important to her and she knew she could never be happy with a being that reminded her too much of her own failure. "I'm going... to Al Hazard! And I will regain everything! Both my past, and my future! I will regain the single happiness I once had!"

She slammed her staff onto the floor to hammer home the point, increasing the flow of her magic into the jewel seeds, triggering the dimensional collapse. As she stated, she would end up in Al Hazard... or die trying. The floor gave way beneath her, the Garden of Time's superstructure beginning to fail under the pressure of the dimensional shift, but she no longer cared; the base had served its purpose long enough, both as a home and a means of life support.

"Mother!" Precia vaguely heard Fate call out, but she ignored that to turn towards her one and only true daughter in the capsule.

"Let's go together... Alicia," the old woman stated, feeling the weight of her many years. "We won't be separated this time..."

She closed her eyes as the scene above faded into obscurity, awaiting whatever it was that fate held in store for her. Whatever it was, whether Al Hazard or death, she was prepared.

And thus she wasn't prepared for whatever grabbed her arm and yanked. She felt her body jerked through an atmosphere that made her skin tingle, but before she could even begin to process what was going on, she found herself on solid ground once more; a cold, hard floor beneath her.

"I can't believe I was once that stupid, but I suppose it was a good thing," she heard a female voice mumble. "If it wasn't for that, none of this would have been possible."

"Who..." Precia started to ask as she twisted to the side and attempted to lift herself up, but then doubled over and coughed up some more blood which splattered onto the floor.

"Here, take it easy, I have something for you," the voice said again.

She felt a warm hand on her neck, and that warmth began to immediately spread throughout her body, the aches and pains quickly fading. She didn't know what it was, but it felt like some kind of advanced and powerful healing magic, far stronger than anything she had learned about; who could possibly be doing this?

"I'm instilling additional life force into you, reversing your aging process," the voice explained. "It will also reverse your cancer. However, it won't last forever, so I'll have to put you into a lifepod after this and hide you away. I know a safe place that you can regenerate until it's time for you to emerge."

"What?" a thoroughly confused Precia questioned, finally turning over to glare up at the person who had kidnapped her; however, the face was hidden by hair and the darkness of a hood. Still, if someone thought they could tell Precia Testarossa what to do, they had another thing coming. "What makes you think..."

The words died on her lips as her mysterious companion pulled the hood back, and she found herself staring into a mirror. "Yes, I'm you. A future you, come back through time. I barely managed to snatch you out of the dimension you were falling into and pull you back with me. It is now the year 0039; do you know what that means?"

Distracted, Precia answered automatically; there was no way she would forget. "That was the year Alicia died, but that can't be possible! I demand you tell me who you really are, and why you've brought me here!" The sudden thought struck her, and she glanced around frantically. "Alicia, where is she?" The life pod was laying on its side a short distance away, mercifully intact, but Precia lurched over to check it just in case, then glared back at her mirror copy.

The other Precia held out her hand, as if daring her younger self to take it. "See for yourself. You can dispel transformation magic and magical illusions easily." She paused as the younger Precia took the hand, confirming the stranger, whoever she was, was telling the truth in that regard. Another through struck her, but before she could answer, the mirror-form Precia addressed it straight away with an amused grin. "And now you're thinking that I'm a clone with your memories; that someone else might have got your genetic material and perfected the cloning process like you did. But I know things that no clone could know; thoughts so recent in your mind, that there is no way they could have been copied. For instance, you were just surprised at the fake daughter of yours offering to help you because she saw you as her mother. And you were tempted, surprised she could show any love towards you. You even-"

"Enough!" Precia declared, still eyeing her supposed future self, but she was less hesitant now about the possible truth. "Let's say I believe you - and I still don't entirely - why are you doing this?"

"Think," her double told her. "What do you want more than anything?"

Immediately, Precia's gaze went to the lifepod she was resting against, and the small girl within. "Alicia. I need to bring Alicia back!"

Her copy nodded approvingly. "Good, you're still focused. Now, are you willing to do whatever it takes for that goal?"

"Of course!" Precia responded immediately and almost indignantly.

"Then listen well, because I am the result of that desire, and it can still be achieved," her duplicate stated. "There is much to explain, but I cannot do it all here. You should recognize this place, because it is one of your secret labs; it will go undiscovered for many years, long enough for you to recuperate in a lifepod. I have a prepared a program which will explain everything you need to know, but suffice it to say, you will emerge 30 years from now and take the place of another person so that you can work in secret. 50 years after that, you will enter a time portal as I did, and save your past self. Then-"

Precia put a hand up to forestall more explanation. "Wait, if you've brought me back to 0039, then we can stop the reactor accident! We can save Alicia now!"

The older version of herself sighed. "Think, fool! If we stop the accident, it will create a time paradox. History must play out as it is recorded, but it's not entirely inflexible. Once you go back in time and save your past self and become me, you can save Alicia and leave that corpse in her place. Everyone will think she has died, and the two of you can do anything you want!"

"Wait, isn't this a time paradox in and of itself?" Precia questioned dubiously, rubbing her temples. Temporal mechanics was one of the things she had studied in her quest to bring back Alicia, but all avenues of research were incredibly confusing even for her. "How could I set everything up and come back in time to save myself in the first place?"

Her double sighed and shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure myself. It's likely we create a new alternate reality each time we come back in time, another timeline that branches off, and thus perhaps there was an original one where random chance led to a Precia going back in time. The dimensional fault we generated with the Jewel Seeds might have intersected with a wormhole through time and space, and thus tossed the first Precia through time and space where she learned how to set this up. Or perhaps this is how it is, because it always was." She paused and smiled mirthfully. "Temporal mechanics and causality always did give us headaches."

Precia found herself nodding, then caught herself. "I'm still not sure I believe all this..."

"We have ten days until the accident, so we have time to convince you of when you are in history," her older self declared, standing. "Come. I have much to teach you. And what you learn, will enable you to finally save our daughter and get revenge on those that stood in our way."

x~~*~~x

Silence had draped its powerful stillness upon the open-ceiling room following Precia's bold declaration, daring someone, anyone, to defy its law. Even Carim, still bound to the angled table in the enter of the room, had long since gone quiet and lay perfectly calm again; either passed out, or passed away, a part of Nanoha's mind wondered. She was too far away to detect if the Saint Church woman was even still breathing.

In the end, it was a pained cough that broke the soundless lull, while simultaneously drawing everyone's attention to the cyborg sitting against the far wall.

"So this... was your big secret, Due?" Quattro questioned, nursing her arm while blood trickled from her lip. "You knew... about this?" She coughed out a mirthful laugh. "I have to admit, I never would have seen this coming."

The #2 cyborg shrugged. "I sided with Precia because she saved me and demonstrated a clear understanding of the future. She was the one who went back in time, not the doctor, and the only thing that matters to me is siding with the winner. I thought that particular lesson was one of the first things I taught you."

Quattro smiled despite her situation. "And I can guess that she saved you, only to copy your IS so that she could hide as Mariel undetected, am I right?"

Precia answered for her. "Very good. I am part cyborg now. Magical transformation can be detected, but not this technical means."

"Where's the real Mariel?" Nanoha asked, finally regaining control of her wits. "Or was she merely a persona you created?"

"Oh, she was real, but sadly she doesn't exist anymore," the elder Testarossa confirmed, mock sorrow in her tone. "I took her place in the chaos following the JS incident, after studying her character and mannerisms."

A whimper drew her attention to the corner, where a woman was still cowering in the corner, seemingly trying to get as far away from Precia as possible. "And what about Hayate? What did you do to her?"

"Ah yes, your terrified little friend there is deeply related to all of this," Precia explained delightfully, walking towards the cowering Supreme Commander of the Bureau. "Once I was given knowledge of the Book of Darkness's absorption technique from my future self, I was able to modify it to handle life as well as linker cores. From there, I created my life-extension machines, but I made some minor adjustments to the doses Hayate received to affect her mental state. Not much; just a little subliminal programming to heighten her paranoia slightly, and her desire to protect her friends, and then let Due play out her part. She created the perfect atmosphere for me to hide my work. Why do everything yourself, when you can get others to?" She began to lean down towards Hayate, reaching out with her fingers to touch the heavily trembling woman's face, but something intervened first.

Nanoha's blast of magical energy exploded against Precia's shield, leaving the former breathing heavily with the exertion; it was all she could do to pull up magic, realizing she needed more time to recover. "Stay away from her."

"Oh, I have no intention to harm her any further, the poor dear," Precia clucked with her tongue in pity, very much unfazed by Nanoha's attack. "And you didn't give me a chance to fully explain what I have done to her, although it wasn't much. In addition to the minor personality adjustments, I also cultivated a deep-seated fear of me over the years, and hid it in the depths of her subconscious; a failsafe that would render her unable to interfere when I was ready. Poor dear; she doesn't even know why she's so afraid. She'll be fine again when I'm gone, however." A wry smile was directed Nanoha's way, before Precia turned towards her faux daughter. "I have learned from my past failures as to the proper method for utilizing my tools. And like her, you were merely a material for me to use." She spread her arms wide. "You all were materials!"

The emphasis on the word "tools" left no doubt in Fate's mind as to where she had always stood with her mother, which left only one question in her mind that she spoke with an exasperated tone. "Why?"

Precia wagged a finger slowly back and forth. "Don't ask me a question you already know the answer to."

Fate shook her head, staring in disbelief. "Alicia? You'd go through all of this for Alicia, mother?"

"She was the one good thing in my life, and I neglected her," Precia replied with a sudden, and quite surprising, soft fondness in her voice; and then she narrowed her eyes at Fate. "You were always a pale imitation, so you can stop referring to me that way. You even changed the precious hair color you were gifted with."

"No, I'm not Alicia, and I never could be," Fate shot back, her gaze unwavering. "I am my own person, and your daughter, despite what you might think." She switched Vulnificus into Zanber form, bringing it up to hold with both hands. "However, you're missing something: you can't take Alicia out of time without affecting the past. If you save her, then none of this happens! You'd create a paradox."

I'd love to explain..." Precia started to say, then turned to glance at Carim's linker core which had expanded to a little over a meter in diameter. "But as you can see, it's almost time for me to go."

"You aren't going anywhere, _mother_," Fate forced out through clenched teeth. "You can't just walk in here and do what you please after all these years. I am ordering you to step away from Hayate and surrender yourself."

Precia's lips slowly stretched into an amused smile, as if she was genuinely entertained by Fate's pronouncement. "And what will you do if I refuse? If you have something in mind, you better act fast; you don't have much time." She chuckled as if enjoying her little joke. "In more ways than one. So if you're going to stop me, you better get to it. Perhaps you need a little more motivation, however."

Without waiting for a response, Precia bent down and reached out for Hayate, forcing Nanoha and Fate to launch their attacks. While Nanoha fired off a barrage of magical bullets, Fate sped in and swung her weapon, trying to use Nanoha's spell as a distraction to catch her mother off-guard. However, when the explosions from the barrage died down, both women were surprised to see that not only was Precia unharmed, but she had grasped the golden blade with one hand and was holding it firmly in place.

"You seem to have a poor memory, Fate," Precia chided, her voice dripping with disappointment, as Fate tugged on the weapon, but it might have been lodged in cement as far as she was concerned. "I thought Linith taught you better. I made Vulnificus, remember? Did you think you could harm me with it? And don't you remember what I told you about tools back then?"

_"Well, it's up to you, but you have to be careful to use the right tools for the job or you could find them failing you in a critical moment, and I'm sure neither one of us wants that."_

[Too late...!] Fate recalled, wide eyed; a powerful surge of magical electrical energy exploded through her body, and her back arched and spasmed while her lips opened in a soundless scream.

"Fate-chan!" Nanoha called, releasing another volley of magical missiles straight at Precia, who calmly raised her other hand and blocked them all with a round shield.

But Nanoha was already moving, in motion before the shots even connected, executing a Flash Step to jump behind Precia. She cupped her hands together and unleashed a Divine Buster at point blank range, throwing almost all the magic she had left into it; Nanoha could feel her body burning itself out to supply the power she demanded, but she also knew she couldn't let up. With Hayate seemingly unable to do anything, and Fate out of the picture, only Nanoha was left to stop Precia from enacting her plan. And she had made a promise to her other self; she would fight, not holding back, no matter what the cost.

Precia tossed Fate's body away and used her own hands to try and disrupt the beam, parting it and reaching forward to grasp her prey. Nanoha twisted around it to the side, however, and charged a fist with magic, going in close to deliver an explosive punch to Precia's gut. She was finally pleased to see the older mage wince, but then a hand seized her throat, and she felt a horrible burning sensation.

"This should be familiar, if you remember," Precia hissed, metaphorical venom dripping from her lips. "I'll drain your life like I did before!"

Nanoha clawed at the hand, but it was like iron, and her body, already burning with fatigue, felt like lead. Just when she wondered what she'd do next, Yuuno came out of nowhere and slammed into Precia and knocked her aside, dropping Nanoha to the ground. Tired and aching all over, Nanoha tried to force her body to move.

"Nanoha, get up!" Yuuno shouted, trying to grapple with the woman.

"Miserable little man, I almost forgot about you," the elder Testarossa stated, then placed her hand against his chest and sent him flying with a powerful, point-blank magical explosion.

"Yuuno!" Nanoha called, and then grit her teeth and tried to stand, but her legs were rubber. However, Fate was suddenly there, helping her up. "Thanks Fate-chan, I..."

She trailed off as she looked into the other woman's eyes, a strange feeling sending a shiver under her skin. That suspicion all made sense when three sharp points of a claw impacted her chest, and yet somehow she managed to grab the wrist in time to prevent her body from being fully impaled. With sheer strength of desperation, she detonated the outer layers of her barrier jacket in a Reactor Purge, sending both women flying apart from each other.

"Damn bitch, I'll really kill her this time!" Due seethed, wiping blood from her lip as she stood up.

"We don't have anymore time to play with her!" Precia commanded, returning to Hayate. "The portal won't last much longer, it's time to go. I just need this!" She quickly swiped the Tome of the Night Sky from Hayate's trembling hands. "I spent years facilitating the transfer of magical knowledge the original Reinforce left in her linker core, to recreate the Book of Darkness. I'll need all the information and power it contains to do this. But first, I need to complete it..."

Due shot a dark look at Nanoha, and then walked over to her partner-in-crime. "Very well. I suppose it won't matter in the long run."

Nanoha coughed up more blood, the simple act exaggerating the pain in her chest, while she attempted to use what little power she had to stop the bleeding from the three puncture wounds. Her eyes came up, wondering what Precia was up to, when four magical Belkan triangles appeared on the floor

x~~*~~x

Rio felt something warm running over her right eye, and despite any bravado she might have told herself about only needing one eye to fight, that line of thought felt strangely hollow now. Her legs were trapped by debris and her left arm felt numb and unresponsive from the elbow down. She shakily raised a hand as Signum slowly approached, her sword raised diagonally to the side, dripping with blood.

"[Corona... I'm not doing so hot,]" Rio sent.

"[Neither... am I,]" came the weak and shaky reply. "[I'm out of magic and Vita destroyed my last golem.]"

"I'm disappointed, Rio Wesley," Signum stated solemnly. "I expected more from you." Despite the words, the Belkan knight hadn't come through totally unscathed; her armor sported numerous bloody cuts and gashes, but it was far less than what she had doled out in return.

"Story of my life," Rio chuckled in return. "People always expect more from me than I can deliver, I guess."

Levanteinn was raised into the air. "Still, you fought valiantly, so I will make your end quick."

"[I guess this is it,]" purple-haired rebel leader stated telepathically with a strangely calm acceptance of her imminent death. "[It was a good run, though.]"

"[I thought I was supposed to be the pessimistic one,]" Corona sent wryly, watching as Vita raised her large hammer in a similar manner to her Belkan sister.

While Corona felt she could probably put up a small rock wall to block the strike, it wouldn't be near enough to stop the Gigant Hammer attack. In fact, no matter what she had thrown at the little knight, Vita just destroyed it and kept coming, displaying the proud reputation she had earned as the fearsome mage that could break through anything.

Despite herself, Rio chuckled. "[I guess, I... wait... what in the hell...?]"

Signum had backed away a half step, clutching her chest in obvious agony as small purple sparkles began to coalesce around her, only to float away. And it might have been her imagination, but the woman seemed to fade ever so slightly.

"[Rio, Vita is disappearing!]" Corona sent urgently.

"[I know, same here with Signum,]" Rio replied with incredulity. With surprisingly small fanfare, Signum finally faded out of existence, leaving the partially buried woman with confused uncertainty. Wasn't this supposed to be her big death scene?

What in the hell was going on?

x~~*~~x

"Hey, they're getting away!" Givo suddenly shouted, sprinting towards their two captives.

Lutecia turned, noting the bound Shamal and Zafira as they cried out in pain and grew transparent, before fading altogether a split second before the young teen boy reached them. His fist came down on empty air.

"I thought your binds prevented them from teleporting out?" Ix questioned, turning towards the elder summoner.

"They were supposed to, but that wasn't exactly teleportation," Lutecia said aloud, more voicing her thoughts then responding to the younger girl. "I know teleportation, and that wasn't it."

"Damn it!" Givo cursed, punching the ground in frustration. "Where did they go, then?"

Lutecia crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip, her brow furrowing in thought. "I wish I knew."

x~~*~~x

To Nanoha's disbelief, all four Wolkenritter appeared around Precia for a short moment, eyes clenched shut with mouths agape with agonizing screams. The reason for their painful discomfort made obvious in short order when their linker cores parted from their bodies, only to be were absorbed by the book. With that complete, the four guardians of the Tome of the Night Sky disappeared. Nanoha had seen such a scene exactly once before; the Lieze twins had done something similar, right before Hayate had become the master of the Book of Darkness over 60 years ago.

"No!" came the panicked scream, drawing all eyes as Hayate managed to pull herself up on shaky legs, showcasing that despite whatever subconscious fear was gnawing at her soul, it paled in comparison to concern for her family. "G-give them back!"

"I'm amazed you can still manage to resist, but this was expected," Precia stated evenly. "However, I'm afraid I must decline. I need their linker cores to complete the book and power it, in order to make it cleanly through my time trip. I do apologize, but I didn't spend all this time pulling that magical knowledge from your linker core just to give it back."

Hayate brought up her trembling staff while she took a shaky step forward, her white Belkan triangle flaring underneath her feet. She was obviously attempting to cast a spell, although sheer terror seemed permanently ingrained into her facial expression. Nanoha tried to push herself upright to help, but she was still feeling a bit weak; it was taking longer than expected to deal with her triple stab wound due to the weakened state of her magical reserves.

"And sadly, I don't have time to play with you," the older woman declared with a sigh. "Kruez, execute Yersinia programming!"

"Hayate!" Nanoha called in alarm as her friend's back arched due to magic discharging from her staff, and she let loose a piercing scream that Nanoha felt reverberate in her very core. She attempted to rise, but collapsed again, her body still not recovered enough, and thus could only stare, powerless to do anything. But what worried her most of all, was the way Hayate's eyes and hair were fluctuating rapidly in color, as if she were dropping in and out of unison. And yet, Rein failed to appear.

The bad premonition was confirmed shortly when Hayate managed to regain some control of herself through the obvious pain, and spoke with heavy worry and shock in her tone. "Rein? Wh-what are you... REIN!"

Her brief moment of coherence was short-lived, however, and she spasmed once more before her eyes rolled up into her head and her smoking body collapsed to the ground. The worrisome part was that Hayate's hair had ended up somewhere in between her normal brown, and the white of the unison; a kind of dirty white shade of gray. Nanoha wasn't quite sure what had happened, only that she couldn't shake the feeling it was something terrible.

Precia turned on her heel and headed for the portal. "Now we can go."

Due shot Nanoha a triumphant look, then followed her mistress over, pausing as the older woman did. "What is it? Do we need anything else?"

Precia turned and gave her assistant cyborg a mysterious grin. "Yes, one more thing. I'll need some more life force."

"But where will-" was all Due got out, before Precia seized the cyborg's throat; the effect was immediate and powerful. Due writhed and struggled helplessly as a very visible exchange of power took place.

Nanoha stared, but a quick glance over at the still bodies of Fate , Yuuno, and Hayate, told her everything she needed to know. Despite how sluggish and weak she felt, she needed to do something, and she needed a powerful weapon to do it. As Due began to go limp, Nanoha opened her hand and brought a small blue jewel out of it's subspace pocket, and then concentrated.

"Illegal operation, password required," the device warned in a voice similar to Raging Heart's, but heavily distorted.

But Nanoha was in no mood for proper protocol, and she spoke in a low, threatening voice barely disguising a near-growl in the undertone. "I don't care about passwords. You have Raging Heart in there, so regardless of what Jail has done, you're my device. You either activate and support me, or I force magic through you until you break."

There was a short pause before she got a response. "...Activation authorized. Setting up." The device changed into a staff not unlike Raging Heart in Axel mode, but metallic red instead of yellow. Nanoha promptly shifted it into Buster Mode.

Due dropped to the ground, light wispy smoke drifting from her body, but somehow still conscious and managed to eke out an elderly sounding, "W-why?"

Quattro's pained laughter sounded from the corner once more. "I'm surprised you didn't see it, dear sister. Precia may have gone back in time... but you obviously didn't. Otherwise, wouldn't you have contacted your past self? She played you just as much as any of us." The #4 cyborg managed to choke out another laugh, before descending into coughing fits.

"Life force energy can't be held for too long without being used, so I couldn't store up any in advance," Precia acknowledged. "But take heart that it is all for a good cause. It has been fun, but now I must bid you all adieu... or so I would like." The blast of pink magic exploded against the elder Testarossa, but the attack subsided to reveal her unharmed with a smoking hand outstretched.

"You aren't going anywhere," Nanoha told her firmly. Somehow she was standing again, internally wondering how much more she could give, but also knowing she had no choice; this had to end here and now. "For Fate, and Hayate, and all those others you've manipulated and harmed... I _will_ stop you."

Precia turned and gave an exasperated look. "My future self told me you'd be a nuisance right until the end. Unfortunately, playing with you would take too long. Fortunately, I have another way; Fate, would you be a dear?"

Confused, Nanoha's eyes flicked over to where Fate's body lay as it came to life and stood. In the next moment, the blue-haired woman charged across the room with her Zanber sword raised, heading straight for the unconscious and defenseless Hayate. Nanoha reacted on instinct, and a Flash Move later, intercepted Fate's downward swing with a Protection barrier.

"Fate-chan, what are you..." Nanoha started to say, then realized that Fate's eyes were blank; she was still unconscious. Nanoha's tossed an accusing glare towards the elder Testarossa "You're doing this!"

"Given our specialties in electric magic conversion, and that muscle control relies on electrical impulses, and that she carries a device custom-made by myself, it's fairly easy," Precia admitted with a wry grin. "You might be able to stop me if you followed me, but in doing so, you'd have to sacrifice your friends, and we both know you'd never do that. So long, clone of Nanoha Takamachi, but don't take it too badly; the real you couldn't stop me either!"

With a hearty laugh, Precia Testarossa turned and leapt into the glowing portal behind her, and suddenly the room was almost quiet again.

Almost.

Plasma Lancer bolts formed around Nanoha, forcing her to quickly grab Hayate and jump back as the ground exploded where she had been standing a moment before. Despite Precia being gone, Fate was still a zombie and still coming after Hayate, which led Nanoha to believe the AI of the device was controlling things. The only saving grace was that her movements and actions were a bit slower, which Nanoha was grateful for, since she was running on fumes for magic. Somehow, she had to protect Hayate until she could stop Fate, and then get through the now-shrinking portal and stop Precia.

[One thing at a time,] Nanoha told herself, sending a wave of magical shots towards her controlled-friend. [But knocking her out won't work; she's already unconscious. Then I need to separate her from her device and-"]

"Nanoha... it's Rein!" Hayate suddenly and desperately announced from under Nanoha's arm, apparently awake again, then glanced around. "Where's Precia?"

Nanoha released Hayate when it looked like her other friend would be able to stand on her own. "She went through the portal. I'll go after her in a moment, but first I need your help to-" 

"PRECIA!" Hayate screamed in anger as she leapt for the portal, disappearing within.

Nanoha stared in shock, doubly so when Fate suddenly did an about face and went in after her, leaving the room quiet for the third time.

"Go," a weak and heavily injured Yuuno declared, causing their eyes to meet, and he must have read her mind. "Don't worry about me or anyone else, just go and stop Precia, anyway you can!"

Nanoha took one last look at him, nodded, and then took a leap into the unknown.

x~~*~~x

Yuuno sighed and lay back against the wall. He wasn't quite sure how serious his injuries were, but it wasn't good, and he chuckled that he could probably save himself if he could have gotten the damn collar off. [I'm sorry, Shari. I guess I'll be the first to go, after all.] He closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate, wondering how things would ultimately turn out.

But his thoughts were promptly interrupted by a surprised shout from a new voice. "What the hell?"

x~~*~~x

_Too much...!_

She wanted to clamp her hands over her ears and shut her eyes tight, but that had no effect on the intense barrage of sights, sounds, and sensations assaulting her senses and flooding her mind. It felt like every event in history from throughout dimensional space was being played out both simultaneously and in reverse, a never-ending symphony that was more than she could take. And all the while, she was helpless as she was forcibly carried along an invisible current that was taking her places she could barely comprehend.

_Please stop!_

Somehow, though, Nanoha began to reclaim some of her mind, possibly due to the fact that she had experienced something similar when Agito dove into her mind, and thus was becoming a bit more acclimated to it; however this was at least ten times more intense than that experience. But still, somehow she knew that if she didn't get some sort of hold on herself, she would be driven mad by the explosion of stimuli that assailed her very being. Already she was beginning to wonder what she was even doing here... there was some purpose that she could barely recall, that flitted in and out of her mind, that she tried to focus on to drive everything else away.

_Someone help me... Fate-chan... Yuuno-kun..._

There was a flash of white light and she found herself in a darkened room, barely able to see, but it was strange; it was surreal, like a dream where she wasn't really present, but the sensory assault was gone. Curious upon detecting movement, she crept forward silently and then froze the moment she made out a pair of forms on a bed. She couldn't see the one on the left, but the other hand the blanket down to her chest level, and Nanoha could clearly make out the face of a peacefully sleeping Fate.

The other form then suddenly turned over and sat up, staring in her direction, and Nanoha recognized the visage of her other close friend even without his glasses: Yuuno. She immediately realized that she must have stumbled into the part of their lives where the two were married, and somehow knowing that and seeing the two, brought a smile to her face. But before she could say anything, the scenery vanished without warning, bringing her back into the confusing swirl of color and scenery.

"Calculations complete, space-time barrier initiated," Luciferion stated, and all at once the fog seemed to lift, reduced to a near whisper in the background so she could think more clearly again.. "Filtration is at 98%, some danger remains."

"Danger?" Nanoha wondered aloud, and then noticed her hands, and how they appeared smaller than normal. A quick check of her body, now enveloped in a soft pink glow, confirmed the change. "What happened? I look smaller...? No... younger?"

"Approximate age in standard chronological terms is 10," Luciferion informed her, in a one that seemed to be much closer to the original Raging Heart's... or maybe it was her imagination. "Space-time conditions were thought to be unknown, so I was programmed to analyze conditions in the rift and develop magical countermeasures."

_"I was able to reacquire it so Shari could make the necessary programming additions for the time jump."_

Nanoha remembered, and understood. [Yuuno and Shari, they prepared Raging Heart for this moment, and that must be why Jail wanted my device. Thank you, you two; you saved me. And now I have to save you, and the future you entrusted to me.]

Conviction swelling in her breast, she rode the current almost like a surfer, attempting to pick up speed. While she didn't know where Fate, Hayate, or Precia were, Nanoha figured they would have been taken by the current as well, and thus it seemed like the most logical way to find them. At least, attempting to fight the current felt almost impossible.

And then suddenly Fate and Hayate appeared just ahead, and Nanoha was surprised and disturbed to see the two clashing repeatedly in an almost mindless fashion as they were carried along, sword striking against staff. Much like Nanoha had almost been, the two of them were probably driven nearly mad by the sensation; they wouldn't have had protection like Nanoha had from Luciferion. And as a result of that, they also appeared to be de-aging at an accelerated rate, rapidly approaching the age that Nanoha first knew them.

"Stop it, you two!" Nanoha called out to them, but they didn't appear to hear her, so she put on one last burst of speed while reaching out. "We're friends, and we shouldn't be fighting! I-"

Her hands finally clenched their barrier jackets, but in that exact moment, the rainbow colors and the rapidly shifting scenery promptly went black, and Nanoha found she couldn't move, nor speak. [What's going on?]

SIMULATION #2763 COMPLETE. BEGINNING ANALYZATION. 98.37% OF TARGET VARIABLES MET. RESULT DEEMED SATISFACTORY.

[What is that?] Nanoha wondered. A quick glance at her two friends confirmed that they appeared to be back to themselves, but were staring in equal horror. Perhaps realizing what they had been doing and how they looked now, and perhaps they had heard the strange voice as well.

ABSORBED DATA FROM SUBJECTS HAS BEEN ANALYZED. DURING LAST COMBAT CYCLE, MANY DANGEROUS ELEMENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT COUNTERMEASURES WERE REQUIRED. DURING DEFNESE PROGRAM RECONSTRUCTION, DATA SIMULATIONS WERE RUN WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF PRODUCING SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED COMBAT PROGRAMS.

"[Absorbed data?]" Nanoha questioned, trying a telepathic communication. "[Combat programs? I don't understand.]"

Hayate's face appeared to go white as a sheet. "[I... I think I do. It said 'Defense Program,' right?]"

"[Hayate?]" Fate questioned, seemingly picking up on those thoughts. "[You don't mean... the Book of Darkness's defense program? But we eliminated that years ago!]"

DEFENSE PROGRAM WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED BUT RECONSTITUTED AS PART OF THE RENAMED REINFORCE OPERATING SYSTEM. THE CURRENT MATERIAL SUBJECTS HAVE BEEN ANALYZED AND DETERMINED TO BE SUFFICIENT AS NEW DEFENSES.

If Hayate could move, Nanoha got the feeling the Wolkenritter mistress would have been shaking. "[I think... we're all programs. Data the book absorbed during our time with it. I don't think were even real!]"

CORRECT. IRREGULAR DATA DETECTED. BEGIN DELETION PROCESS OF ALL NON-ESSENTIAL DATA FROM MATERIAL PROGRAMS.

Nanoha couldn't even wrap her mind around this. Everything she had been through, all her memories, it all felt so real; there was no way it could be just a simulation! This had to be something else going on here, but what? It was almost there, at the edge of her mind, but it was getting harder and harder to think for some reason. What was she thinking about again? What was she supposed to do?

MATERIAL PROGRAMS STATE NEW DESIGNATIONS.

Hayate's eyes seemed to lose some focus, her arms dropping to her sides, and her voice almost monotone. "Material-D."

This wasn't right, but why? Why were her friends saying these things?

Fate's arms also dropped to her sides. "Material-L."

And then she felt it; something burrowing into her mind, taking over, her thoughts and memories slowly draining away.

STATE YOUR DESIGNATION.

Nanoha tried to fight it, but in the end, it was easier just to give up, as her mouth opened and spoke of its own volition: "Material-S."

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Bit of a "WTF?" moment, eh? Stayed tuned to find out how it all ultimately ends up next time, in the final chapter of Future Tense, entitled: "Before I Sleep."


	36. Before I Sleep

**MGLN: Future Tense**

**Chapter 36: Before I Sleep**

Xx~~*~~xX

"Material-S," she found her lips saying without her consent.

[This is wrong,] the thought echoed over and over in her hazy mind, but she wasn't quite sure why. [This isn't the way it is supposed to be... I don't think... is it?] If it was supposed to be different, then how were things supposed to be? If she was just a simulation, then she shouldn't have a mind and personality of her own... shouldn't she? [Why would the Book of Darkness give...]

And all of a sudden the connection was restored in her mind and a name bubbled to the forefront; someone who had been in possession of the book not long before. "[Precia!]"

"[Too little, too late,]" came the elder Testarossa's confirmation in her mind. "[I knew you three would follow me, so I devised this trap. I warned you not to follow. Enjoy your new reality.]"

Laughter echoed in Nanoha's mind, albeit fading in volume as if the source were moving farther and farther away. But with that first connection made, all her other memories came flooding back, including the knowledge of what she had to do. However, she still found her body unresponsive.

PREPARATION OF PHYSICAL BODIES COMPLETE. PROGRAM UPLOAD COMMENCE... ERROR, ANOMOLOUS DATA DETECTED. REINIATE NON-ESSENTIAL DATA PURGE...

"[Fate-chan, Hayate-chan!]" Nanoha sent urgently.

"[Nanoha, what do we...]" Fate started to say, before a new voice entered their minds.

"[Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, if you wish to free yourselves, then you must not give up,]" came the strange female-sounding telepathic voice. "[You can escape. The book will not let you go unless you give it what it wants. Do that, and your path will be opened.]"

Within the nearly-unseeing eyes of the two girls in front of her, Nanoha could see a glimpse of consciousness. Each had heard the voice, and although she still couldn't move, Nanoha could almost get a sense that she wasn't as mired in this predicament as she first believed. But how to break free? The voice told her to search within, and thus she closed her eyes.

And suddenly found herself staring at her mirror image once more.

"I was waiting for you," her double greeted her with a small, mocking smile. "Though why you're here when you know what must be done, and what you still have to do, means you're still an idiot. We both know what needs to be done."

"I don't..." Nanoha started to say, then realized she did indeed understand and stared at her mirror image, almost awestruck by the implications. "You aren't a creation of me holding back like Agito thought... you're the result of me changing who I am. Back in that cave with Uno, when I lost my way, I subsumed an important part of myself because I felt I couldn't live that way anymore."

She could see the guilt she had been hiding over not only Uno, Neyra and Agito, but also those like Caro, Shamal and Zafira; those that lost their lives in the years previous. She felt like she had failed them all, that only if she had lived, she would have been able to save them. That somehow the way history had turned out was her fault. She blamed herself, telling herself that if only she had been stronger, or acted less naively, that none of this would have happened. In response, she had hardened herself against the pain, reigning in her emotions, in the process, denying who she was.

"I _am_ Nanoha..." she realized softly, feeling her eyes begin to water. Shortly thereafter, she could hear a sharp sniffle from Fate and a muffled cry from Hayate, and for a brief moment, she wondered if they were going through something similar.

The smile disappeared off her double's face, showcasing a distinct lack of emotion. "Close enough. And now we're stuck and we can't free ourselves... unless we separate. Don't worry, I won't take much; just things that you won't miss, and a name you no longer need, now that you've figured out who you want to be. It's time for you to go."

Without waiting for a response, Seikou reached out and pushed... and Nanoha felt a horrible tearing sensation, as if her body was being forced in two directions simultaneously. And then it was over and she felt light while she drifted upwards. A quick glance down revealed the version of herself with the the black barrier jacket, who didn't even bother to look up; Nanoha realized there was no reason to.

And to her right and left, she found a golden-haired Fate and a brown-haired Hayate, their physical appearance back to normal; they had also apparently left parts of themselves behind in order to escape. Smiling, they took each others' hands as they continued the ascent, the blackness of the void eventually giving way to blinding light.

x~~*~~x

"What the hell?" Teana declared from the doorway, surveying the scene before her. "What happened?"

Yuuno chuckled darkly, drawing her attention even as she noted the shrinking white glow in the middle of the room. "Our past, present, and future, all wrapped up into one."

Teana walked over to him, checking his wounds. "Yuuno Scyra? Why are you here? What happened?" She glanced over at the body slowly disappearing in the middle of the room. "And what's going on with Carim there?"

"History fulfilling itself," the older man stated cryptically in a solemn tone, and then decided to elaborate when Teana eyed him. "It's something Carim realized would happen to her eventually; her linker core, amplified by the moons' magic, has created a subspace rift. Her body is being broken down and absorbed into it as pure data, where it will travel back in time, emerging at various moments in time where the fabric of space-time between reality and subspace is weak. The past Carim will pick up on these bits of information, which will be translated through her linker core into prophecies. In short, Carim is the one telling her past self about the future."

Teana stared at him, then shook her head. "That's crazy, but I suppose I've seen some pretty crazy things myself." A thought struck her, and she glanced around. "Wait, where is Jail and everyone else?"

"Precia killed Jail and Due," Yuuno explained, nodding towards a pair of corpses. "Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, and Precia all went back in time in a bid to change history," He paused thoughtfully, then shrugged and immediately winced in pain at the simple motion. "Or perhaps fulfill it."

The gunmage rubbed her temples. "Time travel? Wait, if this is even possible, and they went back in time and changed things, shouldn't everything be different now?"

Yuuno considered that. "Maybe it is, and we don't realize since we would have been changed, too. Maybe any changes take time to propagate forward on the timeline. Or perhaps they created a new reality via a new branching timeline."

"Or perhaps they're all dead or permanently lost in time," Quattro mused aloud, drawing attention to herself, and then chuckled. "Perhaps this whole thing was doomed from the start. I must have gotten complacent over the years and lost my edge, to not have seen this coming. Ah well, back to the drawing board, as they say."

Teana's fist clenched at her side, and then she stood slowly, turning very deliberately toward the #4 cyborg. "Your days of plotting and scheming are over."

Quattro laughed again, wincing and hugging and arm to her stomach. "Why? Because I'll end up back in prison again? Because that worked _sooo_ well the first time." She smiled as if a thought just occurred to her. "Anyway, Hayate's rule is over and the rebels are going to take over, so you're out of a job. I hardly think you'll survive that in any command capacity."

During her little speech, Teana had slowly walked over to the other side of the room, one of Cross Mirage's guns forming in her hand. With little fanfare, she paused in front of the #4 cyborg and pointed it at her head.

"After all this time and all we've been through, and you're just going to shoot me?" Quattro taunted, raising an eyebrow. "If you had the fortitude to do that, you would have done it long before now."

The gunmage's lips curved upwards ever so slightly. "You're right, in the past, I wouldn't have been able to do this. But that was then. This is now. Times have changed; as you noted, I'm out of a job, and thus there are no longer any regulations to bind me."

Yuuno turned his head away from the scene and closed his eyes, just before a single shot echoed in the room.

x~~*~~x

"My head..." Nanoha groaned, blinking her eyes open and rubbing her temples in response to a pair of hands lightly shaking her body.

She found a smiling, nine-year-old Fate gazing back at her; the one with golden hair she remembered from her youth. "About time you woke up."

Nanoha sat up on the padded couch and took a look around, finding herself in a dimly-lit decent-sized living room reminiscent of the Mid-Childa style. Outside the few windows drifted a familiar looking multicolored void that she had last seen when the Garden of Time was breaking up. However, the most curious thing was the vast number of clocks of every conceivable size, shape and style lining the walls, ticking away. The setting was almost too surreal, and she had to pinch her skin to see if she was dreaming. The sharp pain let her know it was real, although she was a bit chagrined to note that her body, like Fate's, still appeared to be that of her youthful 9 or 10 year old self.

And then she noticed a red jewel hanging from a strap on her neck, and her heart jumped. "Raging... Heart?" she questioned hesitantly, cupping it gently in her left hand.

"Yes, my master," came the familiar tone.

"It appears to be back to normal, as is mine," Fate stated, answering Nanoha's unspoken question, then held up her right hand to showcase a golden triangle. "I'm not sure why. Perhaps some semblance of our devices broke away when we did. That is, if any of this is real."

"Where are we?" Nanoha wondered aloud, allowing Fate to help her to her feet. "The last thing I remember, Precia had somehow trapped us. Or is this really all part of a simulation, too? I thought I had everything worked out, but I'm not sure I can really know what is real anymore."

"I'm not sure where we are, honestly," Fate admitted. "I woke up not too long before you did, and as you can see Hayate is already up. I do feel a bit refreshed from my nap, though."

Finding herself with a bit of renewed strength also, Nanoha glanced across the coffee table to Hayate, now a young girl as well, sitting on the couch. It looked like all of them had retained their younger bodies, but whether that meant that they had been de-aged in an anti-time stream, or whether their lives from the Book of Darkness incident onwards had merely been a simulation or illusion, Nanoha didn't know.

"I'm sorry," Hayate spoke almost so softly that Nanoha could barely pick it up. "It's like I'm waking up after a long nightmare, and can think clearly again. It scares me that I nearly let my emotions destroy me. It was my decisions that led to the Bureau being what it is, and also my choice to transfer the data Reinforce left in my linker core in order to reconstruct the original Tome of the Night Sky. I let Precia manipulate me every step of the way when I should have known better. None of this would have happened if it weren't for me. And when Rein... sacrificed herself to save me, I snapped and leapt through the portal in anger. "

Fate and Nanoha quickly glanced at each other, and then took up positions down on either side of Hayate, each taking one of her hands.

"It's not entirely your fault, since she fooled all of us," Fate soothed softly. "I'm just as guilty for the way things went. I could have spoken up at any time, but I went along with everything, so I failed myself and you. If it hadn't of been for Nanoha..."

"And I could have tried harder to talk," Nanoha added reflectively when Fate trailed off. "I almost feel like sometimes I feel that force is the only alternative, so I suppose we're all guilty of something." She leaned back and sighed. "I just want to know what is real and what isn't. Were we really in a simulation? Did the past 50 years actually happen? Or was everything that happened since we were 9 years old merely false memories?"

"Everything is as real as you believe it to be, Nanoha Takamachi," an older female voice answered. The three girls' gazes were drawn to the living room entryway, where a familiar woman with white hair stood. "Reality depends greatly upon one's own belief and point of view."

Hayate leaped to her feet, mouth hanging open. "Rein... force? But how?" Hayate took several steps towards the long white-haired woman, as if daring it all to be some sort of trick or illusion.

"I am, and I am not," Reinforce replied with a bit of sadness in her tone, holding out her hand, which Hayate attempted to take but passed right through. "I am merely a projection from your linker core, taking this image for ease of familiarity and conversation. A final program left by the original Reinforce to be activated in the event that all the information left in your linker core was downloaded to create a new Tome of the Night Sky, and if you lost control of the book. Both of these conditions have now been met."

Hayate's head lowered a bit, before coming up as she regained control of her emotions again. "But what did you mean about everything being as real as we believe it to be? That doesn't make sense; reality is reality. Either something is an illusion or it is real. We just want to know which is which!"

"Both are real," Reinforce stated factually, turning to Hayate. "Precia linked your mind to an alternate reality, transferring data about the reality you have lived. If you did not break free, you would have continued to believe you were a part of that one. But the Book of Darkness from that reality would not let you go unless you gave it what it needed, which is why you needed to separate a part of yourselves."

Nanoha shook her head, not quite sure she understood, and so decided to try a different angle. "Where are we now?"

"You are in what might be called an island in time," she explained, spreading her hands and causing a large holographic image to begin forming above her head. Red lines traced back and forth, tangling around each other like so many pieces of string. "In all of space-time, subjective realities and time-lines twirl around each other, branching and combining at various points to form objective realities. Those timelines and realities that are similar tend to gather and twine more tightly around each other, creating a space in between them. If you think of it in terms of a spool of yarn, with the threads representing each timeline, then the cylinder in the middle would be where we are. It is merely an empty part of time and space that I guided you to, an island in the midst of a raging river."

"So that was you who spoke to us," Fate realized as the image above them faded, then folded her hands together while she thought out loud. "But this means our reality is real, and that means mother really is still out there."

Reinforce nodded. "Working together with surprise on your side, you three will stop her after she passes her knowledge of the future onto her past self, and thus she will not have future knowledge with which to anticipate your actions. You have no need to worry about the defense and reincarnation programs, as those were two specific ones the original Reinforce did not leave in your linker core."

"Because she can't warn herself of this particular ambush, if we engage her _after_ she has passed on her future knowledge to her past self," Hayate concluded, then crossed her hands over her chest, pausing for a moment to exhale a sigh of despair over the fact that she now lacked a chest. "And I presume she considers us dealt with, with that final trap. Well, I was going to do that anyway, since she took my family from me. I have to get them back!"

Fate nodded in agreement. "And I have to stop mother. I have a feeling she has more planned than just Alicia."

"Once you step outside this place, you will end up in the anti-time stream at the exact moment you left it, and you will be further carried back into the past," Reinforce spoke once more. " The anti-time stream is like a river that flows rapidly back to the beginning of time, much like the water of a river that rejoins the ocean after it's cyclic journey. You must fix a specific point in time and space from your past reality in your mind, in order to exit the anti-time stream at that point and avoid the alternate reality Precia tried to trap you in. By your calender in normal time, you left the anti-time stream in the year 0065."

"I know where my mother would have gone, too," Fate stated confidently. "There can only be one time and place."

Hayate stood, heading towards the door. "Well, let's go. We're not getting any older... or younger. Precia can't stop all three of us fighting against her. Now that I know what she did to me, I can use a bit of self-hypnosis magic to counter the subconscious fear."

"I would have wanted to stop my mother by myself," Fate admitted, moving to join Hayate. "But it would be best if I had your help and... Nanoha? Are you coming?"

The short-haired brunette had remained on the couch, her eyes closed in thought, but they opened again as she directed her gaze towards the Reinforce projection. "I just realized it, but you were speaking about us in the future tense, telling us what we would do. This has played out before, hasn't it?"

The Reinforce image appeared a bit hesitant, but nodded. "Yes. I was added to the Tome of the Night Sky by the previous Hayate, who wished to pass on knowledge of what went on before. The three of you were successful in stopping Precia, but Hayate was thrown farther back into the past. She found the Tome of the Night Sky as it existed way back in time, and programmed me, hiding it in an encrypted location. Also included were subliminal instructions for the original Reinforce to pass this information into your linker core."

Hayate stared at the image. "So you're telling us that my previous self put there and you knew this the whole time? Why didn't she program you to appear sooner and tell us?"

"My apologies, but for the longest time, my program was inoperative due to the corruption of data in the Book of Darkness," the projection stated. "It hasn't been long since I was able to reassemble myself. Also, your predecessor programmed me to only appear at this moment, because she determined that this was the point at which real change could be made."

"Because even if we are successful in stopping Precia in the past, it will change nothing," Nanoha deduced, understanding. "The past Precia will emerge in the future and begin the chain all over again. It's a cycle we've allowed to repeat." Her fist clenched at her side. "And that's not good enough."

"Nanoha?" Fate questioned, an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. "What are you thinking? Are you going to warn our past selves?"

Nanoha turned to Fate shook her head. "No. We got into this mess in the first place because Precia meddled with time. We just need to cancel out Precia's effect to return things to normal, but we have two specific points to correct. You two go into the past after the future Precia; with surprise on your side, you should be able to stop her without me. I'll have Raging Heart transfer the spacetime barrier spell to Bardiche so you can make the trip, but I'm going back to the future, about ten years. If I am successful, the timeline should be restored to the way it was supposed to be." She paused and allowed a small smile to form. "It finally hit me now, what Uno was trying to tell me about my death, and how Jail felt something was wrong about it."

"You're going to take the place of the original Nanoha and sacrifice yourself?" Hayate theorized, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "But that will create a time paradox. If the original Nanoha never dies, then you'll never be created!"

"Not quite," the Reinforce program explained. "According to the data Hayate left, from the moment you entered the anti-time stream, you began to exist outside of normal time. Any changes made now should not affect you personally. This is another reason why my program was delayed until now."

Hayate rubbed her temples. "This is all too confusing. I thought either that time was one consistent line, but instead of neat lines that branch off each other, all these explanations and that spool of yarn illustration make it seem like some sort of timey-wimey ball."

"But I thought we couldn't go back into the future since the anti-time stream runs backward," Fate wondered aloud. "Unless you plan to exist in normal time until it reaches the point you're looking for."

"That is possible," Reinforce concurred, but there was a hint of sadness in her tone. "Although she has limited personal time with which to work. I estimate no more than ten years, as my analysis of her body indicates she still won't survive long past the age she started from."

Fate glanced worriedly back and forth between the Reinforce projection and Nanoha. "What does she mean?"

"Remember, she's a clone," Hayate added with a heavy sigh, understanding, but also with a bit of shame written into her expression. "I didn't tell you, but the notes I recovered from Jail's lab showed she was made in a similar manner to Zest. I didn't understanding everything, but it was something about because the DNA taken from a dead body, the cells themselves knew they should be dead. A bit of genetic engineering was able to wind back the clock a bit, but Jail had been so far unable to overcome the problem."

Nanoha half-smiled, feeling strangely at peace, while Fate stared in horror at her. "It's okay, Fate-chan I've known for awhile that this body I was given was ultimately going to break down, but I only need ten years. I may not be able to heal the time-lines where this has been repeated, but I _will_ fix our own and give everyone chance at a better future."

_"It's okay, Fate-chan, I'll be fine, just like always!"_

In that moment, Fate couldn't help but see the original Nanoha standing there, delivering a similar speech on that fateful day long ago. She clenched her eyes shut and lowered her head, but then felt a soft touch on her chin. When she opened her eyes again, she a bit surprised to see eyes just as watery staring back at her.

"Even if you do make it, well, you saw how powerful she's become!" Fate stated earnestly, her voice thick with barely contained emotion. "Hayate and I might be able to take her with surprise on our side, but you..." She trailed off, visibly struggling for the words. She wanted to go with Nanoha, but she also knew she was the only one with memories of Alicia, and thus the only one who could visualize the exact specific point in time; and unless they stopped both Precia's, the tampering with the past and future wouldn't be totally undone. She eventually huffed in frustration. "You always do that! So readily willing to take on things without thinking, just hoping it will all be okay!"

The brunette hugged the golden-haired girl on impulse. "Remember what I promised, that we would be a family again. When I succeed, and I will, our past selves will be back with Vivio again, along with Hayate and everyone else. We'll all be one big family again." She pulled back, her gaze taking on an expression that hinted of mischievousness. "And I think I'll have a surprise or two waiting for her. I promise you: I won't lose."

Hayate took the opportunity to hug Nanoha, "Then this isn't truly goodbye; somehow, we'll all see each other again."

"We're the best of friends," Nanoha agreed, pulling Fate back in so the three of them could share a hug altogether. "Somehow, we'll always be together, no matter what."

x~~*~~x

Precia stealthily approached the rear of the building from the cover of nearby trees in the backyard as the sun began to set in the horizon. In this well-off neighborhood there was enough space between houses that no one should notice her presence, but it still wouldn't do for anyone to actually see anyone here just yet. Thinking back on everything, she couldn't help but notice some differences in the conversation with her past self, but she was confident all the necessary steps were covered.

_"Are you ready, then?" the older Precia asked her younger self._

_An amused and congenial smile accompanied the response from the woman about to slip into the life pod. "After everything you've shown me, how could I not be? I am going to succeed, after all, because I did."_

The smile grew a bit wider, as Precia recalled sealing her younger self within the capsule. It was done; she had passed on her knowledge of the future, just like her future self had once done to her. And in 50 years, Precia of the past would emerge, engage the plan, and end up going back in time to this moment as well, where she could do what the current Precia Testarossa was doing: saving Alicia right before the hydra reactor accident. And then, the mysteries of the universe awaited her, and she'd have all the time in the world.

It was almost too perfect, and no one would stop her now. The last annoyances had been dealt with via the reality trap she had prepared; she knew that, no matter what, they'd come through the portal after her, but she also knew they'd never see her little surprise coming.

Precia crept up to a window and glanced inside, the smile on her face turned softer and warmer while her heart jumped up several inches in her chest. Inside, a young girl lay on the floor, happily coloring a picture and humming, oblivious to the world as her little legs swung back and forth. Nearby, a familiar grey cat curled up, watching the little girl with minor interest, before yawning and settling its head down for a nap.

It was a scene that Precia was almost loathe to disturb, but knew she had to. The reactor accident would occur in less than ten minutes, and she had to switch Alicia with the preserved corpse that she had stored in subspace before that happened. The good news was that the hard parts were over; in a fairly short time, her plan would be complete. But in hindsight, she realized that her focus on Alicia, meant she didn't notice the trap until it was too late.

Dozens of binds snapped into place along her limbs and body, freezing her in place, and a split second later, a golden, crackling energy blade appeared at her throat while a familiar voice announced in her ear: "It's over, mother."

Precia's eyes narrowed as she tried to contain her shock; fortunately, her fake daughter couldn't see her face from her position behind Precia. "Fate, I am honestly surprised you managed to follow me here. How did you escape my trap?"

"That's not important," Fate replied evenly. "What is important, is that you stand down and tell me what you did to your past self. When and where did you take her? I suspect that you saved her when the Garden of Time was destroyed."

"What makes you think I will tell you that?" Precia answered calmly, testing her bonds. She could probably break them given some time, but that blade was close to her neck, and Fate's device was ignoring all of her telepathic commands which meant it wasn't Vulnificus. "Instead, you should release me, or else we'll all die when the reactor goes critical and overloads. The radiation that is released is what will kill Alicia and everyone else around, and despite what you think of me, do you really want her to suffer?"

There was a brief pause as Fate considered that. "History records that Alicia died. If that is what it will take for all this to end, then so be it. We'll go out together with Alicia."

"Why do you stand in my way?" Precia angrily demanded to know, her patience wearing thin. "I am just trying to save my daughter! If you stop me, Alicia will die. Is your hatred of me so strong that you will condemn an innocent?"

Fate's tone was almost emotionless. "I will do what I must to protect history. We don't belong in this time." Her tone shifted to more of an accusatory one. "And attempting to save Alicia isn't the only thing you have planned, is it? You took the Tome of the Night Sky for a specific reason."

"Give me my family back!" Hayate added, stepping out from the shadow of the trees at the fringe of Precia's peripheral vision.

"Ah yes, I figured there was at least one more, since the binds holding me are from more than one mage," Precia deduced, intrigued by how young Hayate seemed when the little girl came up to her and began to search through Precia's clothes. "But what makes you think I still have the book? Maybe I gave it to my past self?"

"No, she wouldn't need it, as she'll get one when she becomes you in the future," Fate countered. "I've figured it out; you needed its ability to analyze and copy magical spells and effects. Now that it has experienced the anti-time stream, it can duplicate backward time jumps. It's the perfect way for you to keep hiding, keep up on your research, drain life and who knows what else, all while also spending time with Alicia; who knows what other changes you could make? And don't tell me you hid it somewhere; you wouldn't let it out of your grasp."

Precia tensed as Hayate's fingers brushed over the device while thinking fast. It would only be a few more minutes until the explosion, so if she could just get free, she could make a backward jump to moments before, then the two girls would be done for and Precia would be free to claim Alicia.

"Found it!" Hayate declared triumphantly, removing the small pendant object from an interior pocket. "I can still sense Signum and the others inside it. I am attempting to reestablish ownership and control."

Feeling Fate relax slightly, Precia seized the moment, breaking her binds and elbowing Fate in the gut to knock her away, and then quickly body slamming into Hayate while snatching the pendent away in one smooth motion. As she rolled back up to her feet, she formed the book while several shots impacted her backside, letting her know Fate had recovered quickly. But she grit her teeth to withstand it as focused on quickly weaving the spell; she needed to be anywhere but here!

"She's teleporting!" Hayate screamed, leaping at Precia to try and reclaim the book.

Precia felt the magical energies complete and the twisting of space around her, but it felt heavier than normal. With a flash, the teleport ended and two smaller forms impacted her body, sending her tumbling to the metal floor while the book went skittering away from her grasp. In anger, she twisted and shoved a hand against one of the girls, releasing a blast of purple lightning that sent the Hayate flying away to strike a metal wall of the unknown corridor they had ended up in.

Fate, sensing her smaller size and musculature a disadvantage this in close, rolled away and picked up her dropped weapon, coming in again with a Haken slash. Precia leapt out of the way as the scythe gave her an impromptu haircut, then turned and exchanged a running barrage of Photon Lancer shots with her opponent, all the while heading for the book. Fate anticpated that and sent some bolts to tear up the floor between Precia and the book, forcing the older woman to leap aside..

But Precia wasn't done, and slapped both her palms on the ground when she landed, sending a large wave of electrical magic through the conducive metal floor and walls faster than Fate could react. She smiled in satisfaction as Fate screamed in pain and then crumpled to the ground, but Precia's grin was short-lived as she realized she had made a grave miscalculation.

In her haste to escape via teleport, she had envisioned a familiar place: the hydra reactor building. It was deserted at the moment since all the personnel would have been evacuated to the shielded section when the situation turned critical; that was how she survived the first time. And from the way the walls and floor of the corridor were beginning to tremble, it was just about to go up. She needed to get the book and get out of here fast. But she turned toward the book, only to find Hayate had just picked it up. Precia leapt for the girl, but Hayate's barrier snapped into existence and blocked her strike.

"Give me that, you fool, or we're all dead!" Precia snarled desperately. "This reactor is about to explode!"

There was a moment's hesitation on Hayate's face, before it became calm and determined, and she shook her head. "Hey, Fate-chan, we knew, didn't we? It's not fair for Nanoha to be the only one, and this is the only way we'll see her again."

Golden rings snapped into place on Precia's wrists and ankles, as Fate's haggard voice sounded from behind. "I think... we did. It's just as well; we've done too much to escape our own fates. I'm sorry, mother, but none of us belong in this world anymore."

Before the horrified Precia could open her mouth to protest, the walls and floor erupted with brilliant energies.

x~~*~~x

"Come with me if you want to live. I require you."

Precia didn't even wait for a response as Due struggled to rise. Ignoring the nearby bodies of Regius and Zest, she stepped forward to easily pluck the cyborg from the floor and sling Due over her shoulder. She then placed the already-dead duplicate body on the ground and took a step back while rendering the feebly struggling Due unconscious with a stun spell. Satisfied that all had gone as planned, Precia started her teleportation spell.

"Don't forget me," came a surprise statement from a voice behind her while two arms wrapped themselves around her waist a split second before the cast completed.

It was too late to abort the group teleport spell and thus Precia ended up taking the three back to her hideout, but something felt wrong. During the transit, she almost felt her body being torn apart; whoever had hitched a ride, was actively seeking to disrupt the magic with her own! It took everything Precia had to dematerialize back in her laboratory, but there was damage; she could feel the gashes in her skin and the pain in her chest that let her know she wasn't fully alright, but she couldn't let that slow her down now.

In one quick motion, she spun and grabbed her unwanted hitchhiker as pink magical explosions impacted her body. But Precia bore the pain and charged a point-blank Plasma Smasher, however moments before it went off, the barrier jacket of her assailant detonated and sent the two women flying apart to crash into opposite walls.

Shaking and struggling to rise, Precia finally got a good look at her attacker. "You! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on the Cradle!"

"So we meet again for the first time, Precia," Nanoha mused, attempting to showcase that she was better off than she felt. She knew it would be dangerous to be that close to Precia, but she had no choice if she wanted to get caught up in Precia's teleport. "I'm afraid I can't explain, but I also can't let you carry out your plans. Once way or another, all this ends right here and now."

Precia growled with anger as she regained her feet, eyes narrowing at Nanoha's own painful attempt to push herself upright. "It doesn't matter; you will fail, I know this for a fact." She thrust her fingers outward. "Plasma Storm!"

Dozens of purple lightning bolts arced out from Precia's fingertips, seeking out their target. Nanoha barely managed a shield to deflect some of them while she ran, but several bolts struck her legs sending sending spasms of pain up her body while she tumbled to the floor. Through it all, somehow she managed enough concentration to guide two previously-launched Axel Shooter orbs in from opposite directions, forcing Precia to cut off the attack and shield against them.

With the acrid metal aftertaste of blood palatable on her tongue, Nanoha forced herself upright, using the wall as a crutch. She had conserved her magic while living in seclusion for the past ten years, as the stress of rapid spell use could trigger her body's breakdown, but she couldn't afford to let up now; her friends were counting on her to end this so everyone could have a future. She just needed to buy a little more time.

There wasn't much space in her lab, less than the Cradle's throne room, which meant she didn't have much room to maneuver. Still, she turned and fired a Divine Buster to match Precia's own purple beam and the two attacks canceled each other out with an explosion, filling the area with smoke. As Nanoha limped towards the door under the smokescreen cover, she had noticed that from the way Precia moved, the other woman was in a lot of pain as well. So the teleport disruption did have some effect; just not the total dissolution Nanoha had hoped for, although it did even things up slightly.

However, any hope that she could drag this out much longer went out the window as Precia appeared in front of her in a flash, batting Raging Heart out of her hands and tackling the smaller woman to the floor while seizing her neck with an iron grip. "I had planned to steal your magic and your life force a few years from now, but why waste time?"

Nanoha figured that was why Precia had a high resistance to her spells during the fight atop the Bureau spire, but she needed to focus on the here and now. As she felt the familiar sensation of her life and magic being drained, she managed to bring her hands up. "Solar... Flash!"

Precia released one hand to shield her eyes against the blinding glare, giving Nanoha enough leverage to kick the older woman off her body, however that last exchange had taken quite a bit out of her. She was still dizzy, not really even sure if she could stand, but giving up wasn't an option so she pushed herself upright with her hands. Precia was on her knees, although the way she waved her hands about indicated that the blinding spell had at least partially succeeded.

"This won't help you, my vision is already returning," she threatened, her hands finding purchase on a computer console next to a nearby wall.

"WAS complete, target located," Raging Heart announced from the floor nearby. "Beginning disruption program."

"It doesn't have to last long," Nanoha replied grimly, finding her legs unsteady as she tried to stand.

Precia paused, turning her gaze in Nanoha's direction when alarms began to sound. "What are you doing?"

"I figured whatever facility you were hiding out in would have a reactor for a power source, just like the one on your Garden of Time," Nanoha explained, pausing. "I had Raging Heart find it and start an overload process. In a matter of moments, it will all be over, for all of us. None of us should be here."

"NO!" Precia screamed, unsteadily leaping for the staff. "This is my second chance to create a new reality for myself! You can't stop me!"

Nanoha somehow found the strength to get to her feet and tackle Precia, sending both women tumbling to the ground in a mess of arms and legs. As Precia tried to push Nanoha away, the latter threw the rest of her magic into a Restrict Lock spell that entangled them both. Precia struggled, slowly snapping the pink binds, but as the hard metal floor began to tremble beneath them, both knew she wouldn't free herself in time.

Nanoha allowed a grim smile to show. "I reject your reality... and substitute it with my own!"

Precia had time to cast one hateful glare towards Nanoha, as the ground erupted and consumed them both.

x~~*~~x

"Fate-chan, Hayate-chan!" Nanoha called out, running up.

Hayate turned around first, from where the two women stood at the edge of the yellow police tape. "Nanoha-chan! How is the cleanup on the west side?"

"Going smoothly, thanks to Genya's 108th batallion," the brunette replied, taking the space offered between her two friends and glancing down into the deep crater. "Quattro was secured, and I gave Teana and Subaru time off, but they both insisted on helping where they could."

Hayate made notes on the holo screen that followed her along, while Fate replied with a smile, "Erio and Caro were much the same. I think they learning to take after us much more than we expected. How is Vivio?"

"Recovering in the Saint Church Hospital ward along with Lutecia's mother," Nanoha responded, reflecting on her visit with her new daughter. "She is going to be fine; she's just exhausted and the Church wanted to keep her under observation for a bit. What is it you wanted to show me?"

"This," Hayate declared with a broad sweep of her arm, indicating the deep crater just beyond the yellow tape that easily spanned a hundred meters or more. "We're still not sure what to make it of it; none of Jail's drones were in this area of Clanagan's outskirts, nor did any of the Cradle's weapons impact here. From what we can tell, the explosion was internal, from deep underground."

Nanoha peered over the edge, watching as several engineers carefully descended into the hole, taking readings and otherwise analyzing the site. "And we have no idea what it was about?"

Fate shook her head. "None. Most Bureau personnel are dealing with drone cleanup and reconstruction, so we don't have too many bodies to spare for this, but our initial reports indicate... Nanoha?"

"I don't know," the brunette replied, rubbing her upper arms. "I just felt strangely cold for a moment, as if someone was walking over my grave."

Hayate studied her friend for a moment thoughtfully. "Well, it will be awhile before we have any idea. It's quite likely a forgotten power source or lost logia was buried deep underground here, and all the action above ground somehow triggered it's explosion. But we may never know what happened here."

Nanoha felt a cool breeze caress her cheek and run through her hair, but she strangely didn't feel cold this time. And as she glanced at her friends, they seemed to have not noticed it at all; was it just her imagination?

"Nanoha?" Fate questioned, noticing the expression on her friend's face. "What is it? Do you feel something else?"

The brunette glanced skyward for a moment. "I'm not sure. Do you... and this might sound crazy, but... do you two ever feel like you've done this before? Lived out another life?"

Hayate and Fate glanced at each other, before the former answered, "Sometimes. But then I remember how much we've been through already, and I realize it's probably because we've done more than any girl from Earth has. We've traveled the universe and fought many battles." She paused and smiled. "It's probably enough to make anyone feel old."

"And we still have many more years ahead of us," Fate added, allowing a fond smile to form as the three started back towards the helicopter.

Nanoha felt her own lips tugging upwards in response, her momentary anxiety fading. "I suppose you're right." She paused, causing the other two to stop and glance at her. "Promise me that, no matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

"Nanoha?" Fate questioned softly with a bit of concern in her voice, sharing Hayate's confused glance.

"I can't explain it, just promise me," Nanoha repeated more firmly.

"Of course," Hayate assured her, and then her lips turned upwards into a small mischievous grin. "Without you, I wouldn't be here today, so what would I do without both of you around?"

Fate felt the need to reach out and place a comforting hand on Nanoha's shoulder, as if to reassure the other woman. "I promise, too. No matter what, we'll always be together."

Nanoha nodded, satisfied, the unsettling feeling in her heart soothed. With confidence in her step, the trio headed back to Vice's helicopter that had brought Nanoha in and boarded. And as the chopper took to the sky, Nanoha somehow knew that as long as her friends and her had each other, somehow, everything would be okay, no matter what the future held for them.

Xx~~*~~xX

Author's notes:

Whew! After nearly a year, 36 chapters, and 130,000 words, this story finally comes to a close. When I first began writing this, it began with a simple premise, an old sci-fi cliche: protagonist awakens in a dystopian future where his/her friends have changed. Naturally, that meant Nanoha in this case, and I also envisioned the cryptic words spoken by Uno at the end of the first chapter: "You died." When I posted the first chapter, it was more of an experiment, to see what kind of reactions I'd get, and I was a bit surprised to see as many people become interested in it as it did.

Beyond that first chapter, I had a vague outline that slowly took shape as I wrote. I did originally intend for Clonoha (as my fans affectionally named her), to take the place of the original Nanoha at the moment the original Nanoha died(but that left Due running around). I also planned to leave much more to mystery and not reveal Jail until closer to the end. However, I think this way works better, as I had more than enough mystery despite that.

I also had vague ideas to have Nanoha end up back in time to save her father from the explosion that killed the Triangle Hearts version, and thus split off this timeline, but I couldn't find a good way to work it in. I also debated having The Tome of the Night Sky end up lost in time with Hayate, who makes herself part of the book in order to survive (but loses her memories in the process). The book would eventually end back in the Belkan era (and thus make the book become a timeloop in and of itself). But that ended up not being feasible or making enough sense, too. My main ideas were simply to connect the various AU's of Nanoha that we know. Although I wasn't able to make it clear, I consider the earlier time loops to be the movie manga, movie, and light novel iterations (and then the alternate timeline had the Seikou and other personalities split off it).

Other minor things I left out, was that I had originally planned Givo to be a grandson of Zafira and Arf, but I didn't follow through with this one well enough, and closer to the end, I just gave up on it; I had enough going on as it was. The plan was to reveal that Zafira and Arf did have children before Zafira died, and one of them ended up with amnesia following the war, and ended up marrying Neyra Mellowan. Which would have made Givo's confrontation with Zafira later the scene that put it all together, which Zafira being confused and saying, "Boy, why do you smell so familiar?"

Other than that, I think I am satisfied by how things turned out, although it'll always bug me that I could have wrapped up everything better. But it'll never be perfect, no matter how much I want it to be, heh. There were some good high points to the low points, but I think it really pushed me as a writer. A lot of concepts and ideas I borrowed from numerous sources, so I can't claim to be doing anything new; I'm just a humble writer slowly stretchign my wings and learning as I go.

I hope you all enjoyed the ride at least!

What's next for me? I plan to finish up Whipped, and I also want to finish up The Perils of Lost Logia II. I might take a bit of a break first, but we'll see. After that, I plan to resume my Crisis universe with "Magical G-Squad" and "Through a Mirror, Darkly" but I also have another project on the horizon. It'll be an episodic series focusing on Fate's life as Enforcer, as she teams up with various cast members to solve various cases. Tentatively titled "The Fate Files".


End file.
